Smash bros online
by Ace 5niper 117
Summary: It's been two months since the events of Pokemon online, the world's second death game created by Suguho, a madman bent on hatred and violence. Michael is still alive, but appears to be trapped in another MMO: Smash bros online. Sarah must put her faith to the test as she reunites with the person she cares about. OC story.
1. OC updatesnewcomers

**Hey there everybody, this is Ace 5niper 117, and if any of you are newcomers to this, be sure to read Pokemon online. That way you have some idea on whats going on before sending an oc.**

**for those of you that are returning...welcome back. not a lot of changes need to be made for your characters. just to let you know, the pokemon you had your avatar as will be...something like a trainers pokemon. I'll explain later.**

**for you returning characters here's what I'll need:**

1: Nintendo class avatar. (not a pokemon, just a class from Fire emblem, Xenoblade chronicles, Zelda or whatever you can think of, it just has to be based off the past four smash games)

2: Starting weapon (Swords, Lances, axes, Blasters, even the Monado if you have to. there's not really going to be boss victory weapons this time for the returning players.)

3: Game appearance (say...you kinda want to look like Chrom and Link or something, just spruce something up.)

**for those of you who are new, here's what ill need:**

Characters name or gamer-tag. (doesn't matter either way)

starting weapon (like I said with the returning OCs, it doesnt matter. there will be double of the same kind of weapon. just to be fair.)

game appearance (same as before)

age

personality

background

**there you go. hope to hear from ya. just send your oc by either PM or Review. doesn't matter either way**

**ok, like I said in chapter three, here's the update: custom weapons. It's kinda like the custom moves in Pokemon online, but this time its weapons. **

**Heres what you'll need:**

**name**

**kind of weapon (sword, axe, lance, blaster(which can turn into a rifle if u want) and anything nintendo based. **

**Game it's based off of (Fire emblem, Kid Icarus, Zelda, or anything with swords or blasters.)**

**description and abilities. **

**There u go, there's your weapon. Be sure to send it by Pm or review. See ya**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey...here it is. Chapter 1 of SBO. Enjoy. **

Chapter 1

(Michael)

"Attention players, Smash bros. online is now being sold in the Americas and Europe!" I heard the game announce through the cells walls. It was faint, but enough for me to hear.

Good think I was a Lucario. I thought.

"Great...it's already been three months, and no one knows where the heck we are!" Ryota grumbled.

"Ryota, calm down." Amber said. "Just griping about this won't help."

"Whatever." He said.

I sighed. Things haven't been good since Pokémon online. When I was struck down by Suguho, I thought I was a goner for sure until it crashed.

I had high hopes that I would wake up in the hospital, but when I found myself in the box in the sky, that's when we started losing hope.

The one thing I'm hoping for is Sarah. She's tough, I just don't know if she thinks I'm dead or not.

My one wish for her is to be happy. She needs her best chance.

* * *

><p>(Sarah)<p>

I sat at the table at Smashburger with my brother Rick, who had just won a football game earlier this morning.

"So how's everything going with the team?" He asked.

I shrugged. "It's slow right now." I said. "We're just waiting for that game to come out."

"Oh! That Smash bros. online?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Well...doesn't it come out tomorrow?" He asked.

"Yep. Once it comes out, Canilive's going to get everyone together when we dive."

He nodded, understanding the plan. "Isn't...what's her name again? The one that helped Yui?"

"Firestar." I said. "She's going to get here pretty early tomorrow."

"Can't wait to meet her." He said.

I smiled. "Me neither." J whispered when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I picked it up to see the message.

"Sarah, it's Canilive. We're meeting in fifteen minutes." I read and nodded. "Okay. Rick, you head on home. I've got to go, okay?"

He nodded. "Sure. See you later, sis." He said and dashed out the front door.

As I headed for my car, I dialed Canilive's number.

"What's up?" I asked when he answered.

"We're having some issues with the recruits." He said. "They're cooperative...they're just not confident."

"With what?" I asked.

"They're afraid SBO will turn into another death game. We're trying to convince them that they've got nothing to worry about."

"Well, after everything that's happened, who can blame them?" I asked as I pulled up. "I'm here. I'll explain things to them."

* * *

><p>"Look, I'll help." One of the recruits grumbled. "I just need to know who's leading us!"<p>

"I've told you, once we dive in, we'll get our weapons from our contact, then Sarah will take charge." Canilive insisted.

"What exactly are we after?" A young boy asked.

"Well, the director of Pokémon online is still out there." Laochra told him. "That, and our friends are stuck in there."

"We're getting them out." I said as I walked in.

"Wait...who are you?" The oldest of the three asked.

"This is Sarah. She's a survivor of PO like me and Laochra. She'll be leading us." Canilive said as I held out my hand.

"Nice to meet you." I said.

The oldest grinned. "Name's Orion." He said as he shook my hand. "My little brother here is Drax."

Orion and Drax, huh. I thought. "Nice names."

They both nodded when the girl stepped forward. "I'm Sharon. I make sure these two stay out of trouble." She joked.

I laughed. "Believe me, that's not easy to avoid."

She smiled and nodded.

"We've got some more coming in, I think." Canilive said.

"Right." I said. "How's Kirito doing with the weapons?"

"Actually...he's got a ton." Laochra said. "At this rate, there's no doubt we'll find Michael in less than a month."

I grinned. "Yeah."

"On your way home, be sure to get two copies of SBO. One for you and Firestar." Canilive said. "Once she gets here, we're diving in."

"Got it." I replied and nodded to the three newcomers before leaving.

* * *

><p>Once I got home with the two copies, I quickly dropped them off in my room and decided to pay Sam a visit.<p>

"Be right back!" I called, making sure either Dad or Rick heard me before I shut the front door behind me.

As I walked over to Michael and Sam's house, I thought about how well he was doing with recovery.

During the three months, Sam and Avery were put into rehab to get their strength back after being stuck in SAO and PO for four long years.

Sam's doing very well. He got his voice back in less than a month, and one of his legs started working again. It's not enough to let him dive in with us, though.

"Hey, how's it going?" Sam asked after answering his door.

"Good. You?" I replied.

He frowned. "I've been better." He grumbled and invited me in.

"Hey, I heard that Rick won today." He said as I sat down.

I nodded. "Yep. 23 to 12."

"Nice." He said. "I would've gone, too...but you know."

I giggled. "Yeah. How's Avery doing?"

"She's getting better. Just...not as fast." He said sadly.

I patted his shoulder. "She'll be fine."

He chuckled. "I hope so."

I smiled. Avery used to be Michael's girlfriend, but during the last boss fight, she was killed along with Sam.

Or...they were assumed to be dead for a long time. During the PO crisis, Michael reunited with both of them. That was when I saw that Sam had feelings for her.

"Oh...I heard that SBO game came out." He said.

I nodded. "Yeah. I got it."

He grinned. "I'd help, but...yeah."

I smiled. "You'll see him again. I promise."

We all will.

**okay...here we go. Prepare for a new adventure. now, for the updates and newcomer Oc's, I might need a little description, plus I can only do nintendo weapons. Just letting u know firsthand. **


	3. Chapter 2

**hey, the wait is over. Here's chapter 2. **

Chapter 2

(Sarah)

The next morning, I got a call from Firestar, letting me know that she's due to land in almost an hour.

I quickly got dressed for the day and headed for the airport in my car, letting Firestar know ahead of time that I was on my way.

The drive wasn't long. The airport was only forty-five minutes away from the house.

But it sure felt long, though.

Once I got there, I parked over by the baggage claim, noticing a girl with short brown hair, denim jacket, and a long scarf hanging over her back, standing alone.

Must be her. I thought, remembering a photo she sent me yesterday.

"Hey, you're Firestar?" I asked.

She nodded and smiled. "Good to see you too, Sarah."

I laughed as she put her bags in the back and hopped in the passenger seat.

"It's been a while, eh?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Long flight?"

She groaned. "You have no idea. I'm feeling loads of jet-lag."

"Believe me, it'll get worse heading back." I said. "My dad had to take a business trip to China once, and when he came back he slept in for two days."

"Long nap." She muttered as she pulled out the small Nerve Gear from her bag. "I was going to get the game before I left, but ran out of time."

"Don't worry, I've got you covered." I said, pulling the extra copy from the dashboard and handing it to her.

"Thanks." She said. "You sure...Michael's in there?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Kirito's friend saw him, so there's no doubt we'll find a way to get him back. Along with the others."

She grinned and looked over the case of the game.

When Michael was killed in Pokémon online, Firestar was almost as devastated as I was. I could tell she like to him as an older brother.

"So, where are we diving?" She asked.

"Over at the clubhouse." I replied. "Canilive's department was kind enough to make a big room for everyone to fit while diving."

"I still can't believe the guy's alive." She laughed.

"Believe me, it surprised him too." I said as we pulled up at the clubhouse.

When we walked in, I was surprised to see Canilive looking over one of the computers.

"How long have been there?" I asked.

He rubbed his eyes. "All night. I've been trying to locate the GM console."

"Why?" Firestar asked.

"That's how we're going to get the others out." He explained. "Asuna told me that's the best way to get out for him. It worked for her once."

True. I thought. "So what's the plan?"

"We'll wait until everyone gets here." He said. "I'll go over some guidelines, and we'll be off."

"Sounds good." I said and laughed. "Hopefully you don't fall asleep."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for everyone to get here. Laochra, Raiden, David, and the three new recruits I met yesterday.<p>

"Alright, I'm glad you could make it." Canilive said as more people sat down. "Here's the deal: we all know that the madman behind Pokémon online is still out there, correct?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright, good. That makes this a bit easier." He said. "But Suguho's not the only reason why we're going in."

"What is it, then?" A recruit asked impatiently.

"Well, a few of our friends that survived PO are stuck in SBO." Canilive said, pardoning the comment. "We're going in to save them."

"Works for me." Sharon said.

The officer nodded. "Now, I hope you guys got your own copy of SBO."

In response, everyone held up their copy of the game, along with their own nerve gears.

"Sweet. Alright, my partner over there will show you where you'll be diving." He said, pointing to the officer by the door, who gave as slight nod and led us inside.

"Each of these bunks have their own chargers, so it won't matter how long you're in." He explained and started assigning everyone to their own bunks.

Once he got to me, he assigned me to a lower bunk beneath Firestar.

"Good luck." He said with a confident grin.

I smiled briefly and started setting up the nerve gear.

"Alright, once we dive in and get our avatars, Sarah will be leading us through this one, so I expect you to follow her lead." Canilive said and laid back on his bunk, slipping on his visor.

"Good luck, everyone." He said. "Link in t-minus."

Here we go. I thought as I slipped on my nerve gear as the countdown started.

Once it hit zero, I smiled.

"Link start!" We all said in unison, and I was suddenly transported back to the virtual world.

In less than a minute, I found myself standing in the same familiar room that gave us our avatars.

Nothing new here. I thought when a pop-up menu appeared in front of me, asking for my gamertag.

I smiled as my old gamertag appeared: Whirlwind.

I accepted it, and it gave me a list of games Nintendo has made or was in league.

Why would they have that cherry chasing dot mincer in here? I wondered. That's pretty much...the only Pac-man does.

Eventually, I found the Fire emblem slot and scrolled through the list of different classes. I'm not too much of a fan of horsemen classes, but I could start with a mercenary class.

I selected it, and the armor appears in an instant.

Must be the preview look. I thought. Not bad, but not my style.

Then I went over to the Star fox slot, and I was immediately given a dark brown jacket.

Not bad. Why don't I mix them up?

When I was finished, I looked more like a mercenary pilot with the random shoulder armor on my left side. It looked pretty good.

I accepted it, and I was immediately transported to a small village, surrounded by tons of players.

Michael...I'm back. I thought. I'm coming for you.

Soon enough, the others appeared beside me.

Our journey has begun.

**Here we go. The search for Suguho and Michael has begun. This is going to be fun. I'm looking forward to this. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey, what's up guys? Here's chapter 3. Hope u enjoy. **

Chapter 3

(Sarah)

"Well, that was a smooth ride." Canilive said, stretching. "It's been too long since I last dived."

"Yeah, like three months." Laochra grumbled as he checked his weapon. "I hate to admit it, but I miss my old avatar."

I scoffed. "Yeah, you made a pretty cool dragon."

"Man, it took you guys long enough." I heard Kirito grumble as I turned around to see him and Asuna.

Suddenly, and arrow whistled passed me, heading towards Kirito until a blue haired girl caught it.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Kirito demanded, pointing to Orion.

"I'd say the same." The newcomer shot back. "Who are you?"

"That's Kirito." Canilive said. "He's the contact."

Orion looked at both the boys skeptically. "You're kidding. I thought he'd be older."

"Look who's talking." Kirito said when Asuna stepped between them.

"Guys, enough." She said. "This isn't going to help Michael, or find the director."

"Asuna's right." I said. "I mean, come on...you guys just met for Pete's sake."

Orion and Kirito glared at each other for a brief moment before shaking hands.

"Great, now we're getting somewhere." The blue haired girl said as others came up behind her.

I looked at her. "Who are you?"

She grinned as she fiddled with her bow tip. "The name's Sinon." She said and motioned towards the others. "This here's our crew."

The buff man nodded. "She's right. I'm Agil." He said and patted the ginger-haired samurai hard on the back. "This here's Klein."

"Hey, cut it out, will ya?!" Klein grumbled, rubbing his back. "Seriously."

I laughed when I found a mace aimed at me by a pink haired girl.

"Mess with the team, you get the mace." She said, resting it on her shoulder.

"Lisbeth, will you cut that out?!" Kirito said. "It's bad enough when you try to smack me upside the face."

The girl with the long blond ponytail laughed and held out her hand. "I'm Leafa...but I guess you could call me Sugu. This game didn't seem to have my kind of avatar."

I nodded as I shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

She grinned. "I take it my brother was a big help in Pokémon online." She said.

I laughed. "Don't worry, he was a valued member of the team. Him and Asuna."

"Hey, what about me?!" That familiar childish voice retorted as a small light with wings flew up to my face.

Then I recognized it. It's Yui.

"Yui...or should I say Navi?" Miles laughed, only to have the little fairy at his face.

"I'm not as useless as she was, buster!" She retorted.

I laughed when a small blue dragon flew past me and landed on a short girl's shoulder.

"I'm Silica." She said, smiling.

I smiled back. "You must be the one with the familiar." I said.

She nodded. "Yep."

"Well, looks like everyone's here." Canilive said and faced Kirito. "You got the weapons?"

The black swordsman nodded and opened his inventory. "The weapons here are pretty neat. Just pick one that takes to your liking, and it's yours." He said as a large pile of weapons appeared on the ground in front of us.

"Woah...you've been busy." I said, laughing in surprise as I picked up to golden short swords that connected into the bow in Kid Icarus.

"Oh yeah!" I heard Laochra said as he grabbed a sword I recognized as the Killer sword from that one Fire emblem game.

"It suits you." Canilive said as he grabbed a blaster, folding it to make it shoot out an electric whip.

"I remember that gun." Firestar said. "It was...Samus's, right?"

I nodded. "Yep." I said as I picked up a giant red one ended sword. It looked high-tech.

"That's something called the Monado." Asuna explained. "Agil tried using that thing, but ended up thrown into a wall."

"That was funny." Kirito said and handed me a master sword and a belt with a blaster equipped. "Here. Thought it might suit you."

"Thanks." I said and clipped the belt on, sheathing my new sword in its scabbard on my back.

"Oh...I almost forgot!" Kirito said and turned to me, Canilive, Laochra, Nahlieil, and some of the other survivors of PO. "You guys should check your inventory."

Without even asking why, I flipped open my inventory, noticing one item standing out.

No way...it can't be. I thought as I took out a pokéball, and before I knew it, a Lucario popped out.

"Lucario?" I wondered.

"You don't remember?" Asuna asked. "That Lucario's your old avatar."

"Are you serious!" Laochra said as he petted Charizard.

Kirito nodded. "You bet. Both your PO avatar and the pokémon you befriended are in your inventory."

"That's awesome." Nahliel said, patting Laochra's shoulder. "Guess you don't have to miss your old self."

"Oh shut up!" He retorted, laughing. "I'll admit though, this is pretty cool."

"So, what's the plan?" Orion asked, picking up Ike's sword.

"Well, the place where Michael's held isn't too far from here." Kirito said. "We free him, we'll probably have a faster chance of getting him out of here."

"Wait, can't you just fly up there?" I asked.

Asuna shook her head. "One, we don't have anything to fly with, and Two, there's a barrier blocking us from going to high."

"Just like ALO." Leafa grumbled.

"There's a spaceport based off Star Fox not too far from here." Sinon said. "Sadly, Kirito and Asuna decided to spend all their cash on weapons."

"Hey, it was worth it!" He retorted.

I laughed. "Well, I still have some cash from PO, and the drive Michael sent me, so we should be good."

"Sounds good." Asuna said, checking her map. "The city's not far, do the sooner we get there, the better."

Canilive nodded. "Alright then everyone, here's the deal." He said. "Sarah will be in charge, so I expect all of you to help her as much as you can."

Everyone agreed, and the cop turned to me. "Your call, kid."

I nodded. "Okay, let's get to that spaceport!"

(Michael)

"Man...this is getting tiresome!" Ryota grumbled.

I sighed in annoyance. "Ryota, we get it. I don't like being stuck in this box either. Just shut up and...think of something progressive."

"Easier said than done." He said.

I shook my head when Olivia cried out happily.

"Michael...they're here!" She said.

I stared at her. "What do you mean?"

She smiled and showed me her friends list. "Sarah, David, Nahliel...they're all here. They're looking for us!"

I couldn't help but lie back, breaking into laughter as I looked at Sarah's gamertag.

"Uh...is he okay?" Blaze wondered.

"He's fine. We're going to be rescued." Olivia told him.

"Now that's what I'm talkin about!" Ryota said.

"I'd agree." A strangely familiar voice said behind me. I quickly got back on my feet and wheeled around to see...Kayaba himself.

"You!" I snarled and reflexively reached for my sword, only realizing that I had none on me.

"Stay." He said, holding up his hand. "I'm only here to talk."

"Like I'd want to say anything to you!" I snarled. "After everything you did."

He looked away. "Yes...I'll admit that was...a mistake." He said.

"Ya think?" Blaze said.

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"I've already told you, I'm only here to talk...about Suguho."

That got my attention. "Why?"

"Well, he is the one that imprisoned you, but he's after your friends too."

"He's after Sarah?"

He nodded. "Yes. He knows they're here for you, and he's trying to do...something to you in the real world. He won't let you get away as easily as he did with your brother."

"So...what's in it for us?" Ryota demanded.

The SAO director only looked at him. "Let's say...freedom, perhaps?"

"You can do that?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes. This game is on the SAO server, so I can mess with it as much as I want."

I thought about that. Kirito told me that he saw Kayaba in ALO when he fought some sicko, and because of that, the world seed is still out there.

"Let me ask you this: why? Why are you helping us?" Zack asked.

The director gave a sympathetic smile. "I've...decided to try to make amends for SAO. Of course, I did that with Kirito, but you have been through so much, almost losing your brother, and the girl."

"You forgot one." I said. "Canilive."

"Actually...he's alive."

"What?!" We all said in unison.

He shrugged. "It surprised me too."

"Great...so how do we leave?" Ryota asked. "Cuz I want to get back at him for ditching us."

"It's not like he had a choice." I said.

"Sure he did." He shot back. "It's called not using that move."

"Sarah would've died!" I snarled.

"It's always about Sarah, isn't it?!" He demanded when Blaze tried to break us up, but was pushed away by the big guy.

"Look, arguing about this won't get is out." Olivia said.

"The girl's right." Kayaba said, touching the box wall. "And sadly...this is the only way out."

I groaned. "I hate heights."

"Well, you'll have to step out of your comfort zone." Ryota said, nervously looking over the edge.

"Look who's talking." Zack laughed. "Besides, there's tons of Star Fox ships flying around."

"Zack is correct." Kayaba said. "It will save you from getting seriously hurt."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well...You're still able to be killed if your avatar's defeated in battle."

Great, so I'm in a death game again. I thought bitterly and turned to him. "Why are you so interested in helping me?"

He turned to me. "I told you. I'm wanting to make amends for before."

He then nodded towards the gap. "Best go now before Suguho discovers something going on with his prison."

I nodded as he suddenly disappears, leaving us with a choice: jumping to our possible doom, or staying and becoming Suguho's guinea pigs.

"I don't know about you guys, but I want some FREEDOM!" Zack yelled as he leapt off the edge.

Ryota shook his head. "What the heck, I've been through worse anyway." He grumbled and jumped off.

I sighed as everyone else leapt off. "For once...I agree with the guy." I muttered and jumped, falling almost hundreds of feet into the world of Smash bros. online.

* * *

><p>"WOOHOO!" Olivia said.<p>

I looked over my arm and noticed some starfighters heading our way.

"Guys, try to land on a ship!" I hollered.

They nodded and braced themselves as we got closer to the skyline.

Ryota, Zack, and Amber were the first to grab a ship, then Olivia and Blaze got the others.

I tried to land on one, but I was suddenly smacked off coarse by another.

Oh crud! I thought as I started falling towards a player who was arguing with three others

"Watch out!" I yelled and crashed into one of the three, immediately disintegrating him.

"Ouch..." I groaned as I stood up, noticing the code all over me. "Oh...whoops, sorry about that."

"Who're you?!" One of the three guys demanded, aiming his sword at me.

"Hey, it was an accident." The kid they were arguing with earlier.

"So what?" The other snapped.

"Well, at least your friends not dead." I said. "He probably reappeared somewhere else by now."

"Shut your mouth, boy." He snarled.

"I'd say the same to you!" I heard Ryota tell him as he walked up beside me with the others.

The two thugs glared at me and reached for their swords, but I grabbed the sword my victim dropped and knocked the swords out of their hands, surprising them as I aimed mine at them.

"So...you gonna fight?" I asked with a grin.

They shook their heads and quickly grabbed their weapons as they ran off.

"Man I hate those guys." The kid grumbled.

"People are like that these days." Olivia said as the sword in my hand disappeared.

I shook my head and turned to him. "What's your name, kid?"

He grinned. "The name's Rick."

**rick is in the house. Awesome. Michael and some other members of the gang escaped the box, and Kirito's friends are working alongside Sarah. This group just got bigger. **

**Oh...I suppose u should say that there will be an update on the Oc update/Newcomer invitation. ill explain it there. **


	5. Chapter 4

**The wait is over. Here's chapter 4. **

Chapter 4

(Rick)

"Rick, huh?" The guy that rescued me wondered. "Nice to meet ya."

I nodded. "Nice to meet you too, and uh...thanks for the save."

"Finally, some gratitude!" The taller one said.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

"Ignore him. He's like that." The youngest of them said, only to get knocked over by the gruff guy.

"Hey, don't make me!" The kid said and suddenly termed into the Twilight princess wolf.

"What the...Blaze?" The girl asked.

That's new. I thought. "What just happened?"

"I have no idea." The kid named Blaze said and immediately transformed back into his old self. "Hey, maybe I'm the bearer of the Tri-force."

"Uh...hate to break it to ya, but lots of players can do that, they just need to learn that ability from a Zelda based mentor." I said.

"Man...for a second I thought I was it." Blaze said and laughed.

"By the way, why do we look like we're starting from SAO?" The girl asked, pointing to her own suit.

"Wait, you're a survivor?" I asked.

Blaze nodded. "Some of us are. The rest of us survived just PO."

"We could use a change of attire." His friend said. "Is there some sort of store that can help get some weapons and armor?"

I knew that answer before he could ask. "You're in luck. I know a guy that can get you some good stuff in no time."

"That's great." My rescuer said with a nod. "By the way, I'm Michael."

Michael? Wait a minute...that can't be.

"You're him?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You're...you're my sister's boyfriend!" I said. "The leader of the Guardians?"

"You're Sarah's brother?" He said in a low voice.

I nodded. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to say this: thank you...for saving my sister."

"You're welcome." He said.

"Now, take us to this friend of yours." His gruff friend said.

"No problem." I said. "Come on, I'll take you there."

* * *

><p>The shop wasn't far, it was just getting past the knuckleheads of the town that was hard. I'm surprised Michael's friend could keep his mouth shut.<p>

Eventually we managed to get to the shop.

"Hey, Chris." I called as we walked in. "You here?"

"Dang it, Rick, I told you not to call me by my real name here." A voice said from the back.

"It doesn't matter." I retorted. "Look, we need your help."

"We? Who's we?" He asked as he walked up to the counter and saw Michael and the others.

"No way...you're the kid that-"

"Bought Pokémon online from you." Michael said. "What are you doing here?"

"Hehe...well, when I realized I sold you a death game...I felt pretty guilty." Chris said.

"It's not your fault." Michael said. "You wouldn't have known."

"Hold on...you two know each other?" I asked.

"We met the day Pokémon online was released." Chris explained.

"Great...that's real touching." The gruff guy said. "Ricky here says that you can help us. Can you?"

"Yeah, I can." Chris said, pointing to the booth off in the corner. "Use that to purchase your gear. On the house."

"Thanks." Michael said and walked over to the booth with his friends.

I wanted to follow when Chris pulled me aside.

"Rick...you know who he is, right?" He asked.

I nodded. "He's the one that saved Sarah."

"Yeah...Sarah told me about him when she came over yesterday." He said. "Apparently he's in trouble."

"So what do we do?" I asked. "Can't he just log out?"

Chris shook his head. "Sadly, no. That nutcase director's blocking him from doing so. The only way to free those guys is getting them to a GM console."

"Sarah tried going for that last time." I said. "What makes you think it'll work now?"

"Because Suguho can't control it anymore, remember?" He said. "Look, I have a contact that's with your sister. I'm pretty sure she's already met him by now. I'll contact him and tell him to come here. In the meantime, you keep Michael and his friends here. The sooner the team reunites, the sooner we can get them out."

I nodded. "Okay, but how?"

"You know...tournaments, duels." He said. "Just keep them busy...and alive."

"Sweet...now this is a warrior class for me." I heard Michael shout. I looked over the shelf, noticing his new piece of armor. It looked like Link's suit from Hyrule Warriors, only he had a plain black scarf with a navy blue tunic without the hat. He had a sword sheathed on his back and two laser pistols holstered.

"Wow...quite the warrior." I said.

"Well, if he knows he can beat Suguho with that, I'd believe him." Chris said as the others equipped their new armor. "Look, the only thing I can do now is find his friends. You do what you can to keep him here."

I nodded. "Got it."

He grinned and equipped his armor and weapons as he walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Michael asked.

"Uh...I got a message from an old pal of mine." Chris lied. "Just stay here."

Before Michael could ask, Chris left hastily.

"What was that about?" Blaze asked.

"I'm not sure." I said. "You guys look nice."

Michael chuckled. "So...why did he want us to stay in the city?"

"Well, I'm sure he knows you're still trapped, so I guess he went to find any information on how to get you out." I said. "Don't worry, he'll be back."

"Alright." He said with a shrug. "Got anything we can do while we wait?"

I thought about that. Then I remembered something. "Do you guys like tournaments? There's one going on right now."

"Uh...how does it work, cuz we're still able to die." Olivia said.

She had a point. "Well...there's got to be something we can-"

Suddenly, I heard a shout outside the shop.

"That doesn't sound good." Michael said and dashed out. "Come on!"

Without anything else to do, I followed him.

(Michael)

As I came out of the shop, I saw a young kid that looked a lot like Ike being chased by a bunch of thugs.

What made it worse is that they were dressed as Team Plasma.

"Come on, kid, give us your items!" One snarled, drawing his sword.

That was when I noticed the tattoo on his arm.

"Laughing coffin?!" Ryota growled and equipped the Doom cannon, blasting one away without so much of a warning.

Good call. I thought and pulled out my pistols, shooting the other thug's weapon out of his hand.

"What the..." He wondered and saw me. "You!"

"Surprise." I said when Olivia jumped past me, slashing them with her sword as Blaze knocked him down with his wolf forme.

"Man...I love this thing." He said and growled at the thug, who was cowering into the wall.

"Hey, woah! Easy!" He said, panicked. "Look, if you let me go, I won't tell Suguho where you are, I swear!"

"You're trapped too, aren't you?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Ever since you and your Guardians ended PO, all the Laughing coffin members are stuck here. Especially your good buddy Howlett."

"Great...he's here too?" Ryota grumbled and aimed his cannon. "Give me the word, and I'll put this sucker out of his misery."

I shook my head. "No. Don't."

"Are you serious? Don't you remember all the problems these guys gave us?!" Zack demanded. "I almost got killed because of them!"

"We don't kill them like this." I said. "Unless we want to become red."

"Michael's right. We're not savages." Olivia said as I grabbed our prisoner by the collar.

"You'd better not tell a single member. You hear me?" I demanded. "Otherwise, I will hunt you down."

He nodded. "Sure...yeah. You got it, pal."

"Now get out of here." Ryota said. "Before I change my mind."

Once I let him go, he immediately took off.

"We shouldn't have done that." Zack said.

"He swore he won't tell his pals about us." I assured him.

"Yeah, but what if he does anyway." Blaze said. "I know these guys. They're nothing but deceitful, honor less people."

I looked away. "That's not important. What's important right now is getting out of here. Kayaba gave us this chance, so I'm not going to spoil it." I said as I helped the kid get back on his feet. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

"Why were they after you?" Olivia asked.

"They're just acting like Imperials." He grumbled. "They think that anything rate is for them alone."

"Well, once we get out, I'll make sure we don't deal with them anymore." I said. "They may have power here, but back home they're gone in a keystroke."

"True." He muttered.

"What's your name?" Amber asked.

"I go by Gold wolf." He said. "But for short, just call me Gold."

I shrugged. "Alright. What brings you here?"

"My twin sisters in the game." He said. "I'm trying to find her."

"Who's your sister?" Amber asked.

"Melody." He replied.

Melody?! Just hearing her name made me jump. "She's here?"

"That's what I hear." He said. "I haven't seen her in a while since PO crashed. I'm getting a little worried."

If Melody's here...she could be Laughing coffin's prisoner. I thought. "We'll help you find her."

"We will?" Ryota asked when I stomped his foot. "Ow! Yeah, sure we will."

"Hey, wait...Chris told us to stay here." Rick said.

"I'm not sitting by and letting Laughing coffin take our friend." I told him. "Besides, I'd do the same for Sarah."

"Come on, one of the bases is this way." Gold said, pointing to the gate leading out of the city.

If Melody's here, I think it's high time I paid her back.

(Sarah)

"What's with the change of scenery?" Laochra asked.

"Smash does that a lot." Sinon said. "It gets annoying, but the views are pretty cool."

"It's better than nothing." Orion said. "I'd hate to play a game with no view."

Suddenly, a message icon appeared in front of Agil. He tapped it and a small note appeared.

"What's this?" He wondered and took a look. "No...no way!"

"What?" Kirito asked. "What's up?"

"Michael escaped the cell. It says here that he was brought to the shop just two minutes ago over in Vermillion city."

"Vermillion city? How'd he end up there?" Firestar asked.

"Oh great...we've got some teleporting box." Lizbeth grumbled. "What else is new?"

"Where's Vermillion city from here?"

I asked.

"Not too far." Leafa said. "There's just one problem...it's Laughing coffin territory."

**meet Rick, everybody, along with our new recruit Gold wolf. Hope u enjoyed. **

**Now, if this story goes silent, that's because my block might be getting at me, but don't worry, Ill think of something. **


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, sorry for the wait. I was on a cruise for the last five days, and the tin can had no internet, so I kinda "disappeared off the face of the earth" if you know what I mean. **

**Anyway, I did manage to finish this chapter for ya, so enjoy. **

Chapter 5

(Sarah)

Great...more Laughing coffin.

"How? I thought we got them taken care of." Emm said.

"Well...apparently not." Asuna groaned. "Man, I hate those guys."

"Ditto." I grumbled.

"Look, that's not important. Besides, they don't even know we're here yet." Canilive said. "If we move now, we might be able to find Michael before something happens."

I nodded. "Fine with me. Let's go!" I said and dashed the direction the map directed.

(Michael)

As we ran through the forest, I talked with Gold about him and Melody.

"Well, in the real world...she hadn't woken up yet, so I know it had something to do with Suguho." He said.

"How'd you find out she was here?" I asked.

"Well, I had some friends playing this, and they ran into some people calling themselves Laughing coffin, so I had no choice but to come." He said.

"Smart." I said. "I know her. She was a big help."

"I figured. She loves helping others." He chuckled. "I just hope she's okay."

"She's fine. I know it." I assured him. "There's one thing I knows bout her: she's the toughest musician I've ever seen."

"I'll say." Ryota laughed. "I remember her smacking that one guy in the head. That was priceless."

I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, she helped us, so it's time we helped her."

"Well...we're gonna need some luck, cuz that place looks heavily guarded." Olivia said, pointing at a building.

"Aw crud..." I grumbled.

"Oh come on, this is where the fun begins." Ryota said, revving up his Doom cannon.

"I guess it won't hurt to storm the base." I said and drew my pistols.

"Oh boy...this is crazy." Rick said.

"Do we really need this kid with us?" Ryota asked.

"Yes. He's Sarah's brother, so that makes him one of us." I told him. "Besides, he can't die. If he gets killed in-game, he can always respawn and come back."

"True. That can help us." Zack said.

"Fine! But I'm not responsible for him. You hear?" Ryota growled.

"Whatever. Let's go." I said and snuck behind a nearby bush, taking aim at one of the guards.

"Zack, I'll take one out, you take the other one." I said.

"Got it." He replied and readied his bow, aiming at the guards head.

I aimed by blaster and fired at the same time as him, taking both guards out.

"Nice!" Gold said.

"Okay, let's move." I said and ran through the sliding doors with both swords drawn.

Strangely enough, there wasn't anyone on the ground floor.

"Odd...who leaves the ground floor empty?" Olivia asked.

"I don't know. Everyone stay on your guard." I said, slowly walking forward.

Suddenly, something hit the ground beside my foot and exploded, blinding us with a bright light.

"Flash bangs? They have those?" Blaze asked.

"They're Deku nuts!" Gold said. "I hate these things!"

I couldn't see a thing when I was shoved into something by an unknown force, pinning me hard.

"Long time, no see, bud." A familiar voice sneered.

I immediately recognized it. It belonged to Howlett.

"You!" I growled as my vision started coming clear. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?!"

"I'm supposed to ask you that." He chuckled. "After all, you were the one Suguho killed."

"There's a ten second limit, remember?" Ryota said. "Apparently, after Sarah whooped your pathetic boss, Michael here was given a second chance."

"Really? Well...I guess that chance was wasted by your stupidity." Howlett told him and turned to the LC members. "Take them to the cells until Suguho arrives."

"Yessir!" One of the replied.

"See you around. Maybe." Howlett sneered and punched me hard on the side, leaving me writhing on the ground as one of the guards grabbed me.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Rick said.

"We'll see, shrimp." Howlett said and warped out.

"Move it!" One of the thugs said as he roughly pushed me to move, escorting us to the basement.

The other opened the gate and looked inside. "You've got company." He said as his friends threw us in.

"You can't keep us here!" I said. "We'll get out."

"Heh! Like that'll happen." One of them said, holding my swords as he left.

"Michael?" A voice asked from the dark corner. We look over our shoulder to see a girl that looked a lot like Gold.

"Melody?" I asked.

She nodded. "I thought you were dead."

"No, I'm very much alive." I laughed when Gold ran past me and embraced his sister.

"I'm glad you're okay." He said.

"Not completely." She muttered. "We're stuck in a cell."

"She's right. How are we gonna get out of here?" Ryota asked.

"I don't know. Let me think." I said.

"I hope you have a plan." Zack said.

I looked over to Rick. "I have...part of a plan."

"Great. What is it?" Olivia asked.

"You might not like this...but we're gonna have to have Rick respawn." I said.

"How? We can only do that if...aw come on!" He grumbled. "That's the stupidest idea ever!"

"Quiet! They'll hear us." Blaze said. "That's your plan?"

"Look, he can respawn. We can't." I said.

"Gold can, too." Olivia said.

"Yes, but he just reunited with his sister. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want to leave her right after." I told her.

"Point taken." She muttered.

"Look, I hate the idea too, but if we're gonna get out of here, someone's going to have to tell whoever's out there where we are."

"Fine...I'll do it." Rick said.

"You sure?" I asked.

He nodded. "It's a stupid plan, but I'd rather try it than regret not helping." He said and grinned. "Besides, I did promise to help."

"Okay. Here we go." I said.

"Wait...how are we gonna...kill him?" Gold asked hesitantly.

I grinned. "Those swords I had aren't the only items I got." I said and pulled out a small knife. "I made a one use shiv, just in case."

"Smart." Rick said. "I hope this works."

"Don't worry, if I end up with your armor and weapons, I'll be sure to hand them back."

"That's not what I'm afraid of." He said. "But thanks."

"Okay, are you gonna do this or what?" Ryota asked impatiently.

"Slow down, man." Zack laughed. "You sound like you want to kill him."

"I want to get out of here." He grumbled. "The sooner, the better."

I rolled my eyes and faced Rick. "You ready?"

"Do I have a choice?" He asked.

"Good point." I muttered and stabbed him square in the chest.

The shiv broke, and Rick disintegrated into cubes.

It's all up to him, now.

(Rick)

Okay...I did not expect that to happen.

After Michael "killed" me, I ended up standing in the courtyard in Viridian city.

Back to where all this mumbo jumbo started.

"Okay...time to find some help." I said and checked my gear. Apparently, all I had was my beginner clothes and a training sword.

"That had to happen." I muttered and shrugged. "At least they're in good hands."

With that, I selected Chris's username and hit "find player", following the glowing blue trail that leads to him.

"Please don't kill me for this, Chris." I said and followed the trail. "I've already had that happen."

(Sarah)

"Okay, we're getting close." Kirito said.

"You said that like...ten times already!" Orion grumbled.

"Hey, give me a break." He muttered when the bushes rustled beside him.

I quickly drew my sword, bracing myself. "Come on out!"

"Or taste my fire." Laochra said, chuckling.

"Really, that's the best you can come up with?" Miles asked.

"Hey, come on, I'm a ginger. Fire's our life source." He retorted as the stranger rose from the bushes, slowly walking towards us.

That was when I recognized him.

"Uncle Chris?" I asked.

He smiled, slightly raising his hands. "I surrender."

**well...that was unexpected. :)**

**rick is free, just...lost his items to Michael. Oh well, as long as he's alive, Rick's fine. **

**Now he just needs to find help**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey, what's up guys? Here's chapter 6. Enjoy. **

Chapter 6

(Sarah)

"Chris? What are you doing here?" I asked, a little bit amused with his joke.

"Hey, I had to come." He said. "Especially when your boyfriend came to visit."

"Wait, Michael came to you?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yep. Rick brought him in. He's fine. I had them wait for you at Viridian city."

I liked over to Agil. "He's your contact?"

"He's your uncle?" He asked, rubbing his head. "Well...didn't see that coming."

"Neither did I." Canilive said and stepped forward. "You could've just brought Michael here."

"If he was alone, yes." Chris said. "There are others with him. Some gruff guy named Ryota, a shape shifting kid called Blaze, and a few others."

"Ryota's with him?" Asuna asked.

"Yeah. Him and a few others. I told Rick to keep an eye on them."

"Rick?" Laochra wondered.

"He's my brother." I said, shaking my head. "Okay. Let's head over there before something happens."

"Uhhh...about that." A voice said behind us. I wheeled around, finding Rick standing in front of me.

"Rick?! Where's Michael?" Chris demanded. "You were supposed to stay with him...where's your armor?"

"Don't ask." He grumbled. "Listen, Michael's in trouble. Laughing coffin set up a base in Viridian city. Michael tried to storm it and ended up getting captured."

"You were supposed to keep him out of trouble." Chris said.

"Hey, there was nothing I could do. He went there to look for some girl named Melody."

"Melody? What's she doing there?" Firestar asked.

"I don't know, some kid that happens to be her brother came around and asked for help. Without so much of a plan, we attempted to storm the base, only to get captured." He said.

"Wait...if you got captured, how'd you get out?" Sinon asked.

"Let's just say...Michael killed me." He laughed nervously.

"WHAT?!" We said in unison.

"Not really! If he really killed me, I wouldn't be here." I said. "Look, Now's not the time to explain. We need to head over to the base now before they get killed."

"The kid's right. Let's move!" Laochra said.

"I'm not a kid. I'm only fifteen." He retorted.

"Same difference." Miles said as he followed Laochra.

I smiled a stepped towards my brother.

"Rick...thank you." I said, patting his shoulder.

"Hey, come on...there's no way I'm letting you lose your lover."

I laughed and playfully shoved him as we followed Canilive, heading towards Viridian city.

* * *

><p>"There it is!" Rick said, pointing to the tall building in front of us.<p>

"That's the LC base, eh?" Laochra said, tossing his pokéball in his hand. "Mind if I make some noise?"

"Go ahead. Just make sure they're on to Charizard." I said, drawing my sword.

He grinned and chucked the ball, releasing his former avatar.

"I'll keep on using Fire blast and Flamethrower to get they're attention." He said. "Hopefully, it'll give Michael a chance to bust out."

(Michael)

"Alright prisoners, time to meet your fate." One of the guards said as he opened the cage gate.

The other few guards grabbed us by the arms, dragging us up the stairs to the third floor.

"Here they are, boss." One of them grunted, forcefully turning my head towards the desk.

"Thank you." The person in the chair said and spun his chair around, facing us.

"Aw great...you're here." Ryota grumbled.

"And you, my thuggish friend, are the one responsible for the destruction of my world." Suguho sneered.

"You mean your death game?" I asked. "That was a curse, you nutcase! We didn't ask for this."

"Yet...you played it anyway." He said. "You of all people should've kept out."

"You wanted me to play it, remember? You wanted me there so that you could get revenge for something stupid!" I said.

Without warning, Suguho punched me hard in the face, knocking me on my side.

"Michael!" Melody yelled and glared at Suguho, who slapped her across the face.

"Shut it, girl." He snarled.

"Leave her alone!" Gold growled as the guard put me back on my knees.

Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a Charizard fly past the window.

"Look forward!" The guard said, kicking me hard in the back.

"Kick me again, and you'll end up losing that leg." I said.

He growled "Shut up and face forw-"

Suddenly, the building shook, knocking everyone off their feet.

"The heck?" Ryota asked. "What was that?"

"Guards! See to it, now!" Suguho said and pointed to two others. "You two take these worms back to their cell. I'll deal with them once this is over!"

"Yessir!" One of them replied and pulled me on my feet by the cuffs.

"Move it." He said, shoving me as we walked down the long hallway.

"Jeez, man! Easy!" Ryota said.

"Say something again, you're dead." The other guard snarled.

"Not if I kill you first!" A voice said from above.

It all happened so fast. A cloaked figure fell from the ceiling wielding a scythe, pushing me and the others to the floor as he spun around, slashing the thugs with his weapon.

"Dang! That was nice!" Ryota said as the stranger sliced off our cuffs.

"You're welcome." He said, throwing off his hood, revealing himself as a girl.

"Woah wait...you're a girl?" Blaze asked.

"Yeah. Look, there's no time to explain. Once I get you out, I'll fill you in." She said.

"Was that Charizard yours?" I asked.

"Charizard? No. I came alone." She said.

"Then who..." I asked when I realized that the only person that would have a Charizard was Laochra.

"We need to move!" The girl said. "Let's get your weapons and go."

"Fine with me." I said. "Lead the way."

(Sarah)

"Alright, we got their attention." Canilive said.

"Heck yeah we did." Laochra said. "What was it Michael always said?"

"Time to tip the scales!" I told him and ran into the building.

"Oh come on, I was gonna say that!" Laochra grumbled as he and Miles followed me inside.

"This place must be huge." Miles said.

"Yeah, but we only have time to find Michael and get out of here." I said. "Once they realize what's going on. We're dead."

"I think you're already dead." A familiar voice said behind me as I heard the purr of a machine. No doubt it's a weapon.

"Drop your weapons, now!" Howlett said, nudging my back with his arm cannon.

I looked over to Miles and Laochra, quietly telling them to drop their swords.

"Good. Now get over by the wall." Howlett instructed.

"Take your own advice." I heard Sinon growl as an arrow shaft sprouted from Howlett's knee.

"Agh!" He howled as he hobbled over, getting whacked upside the head by Kirito.

"Thanks for that." I said as I grabbed my sword and blaster from the floor.

"Just give me the word, and I'll drop him." Sinon said, inning her arrow at Howlett's head.

"I heard something!" A voice said from the stairs behind me.

"Check it out! If it's the Guardians, kill them!" Another ordered.

"We should leave." Kirito said. "We don't want them to know that it's us."

"What should we do with "high and mighty" here?" Asuna asked.

Kirito didn't even reply as he kicked Howlett upside the head, knocking him out.

"That works." Laochra said. "Let's go!"

"Got you covered!" Jason said and chucked his pokéball towards the stairs, releasing his Dewott.

"Ice beam!" Jason commanded, watching his former avatar freeze the stairs.

Smart move. I thought. "Come on, let's go!"

As we left, I looked back at the stairs. Part of me wanted to stay and find Michael, but I knew that if any of the other Laughing coffin members found us, we'll have the whole army on us before we get him out.

"Don't worry, I'll distract them." Laochra said suddenly.

"What?" I asked.

"I'll keep them busy, that way you have a chance to escape, and Michael will be able to leave this death house without any conflict." He said. "Go!"

I nodded and followed Kirito and Miles out the front doors.

Good luck, you crazy red-head.

(Michael)

"Okay, we got our weapons." I said as I walked out of the room, strapping the belt on.

"Great. Let's move!" The stranger said and slipped. "The heck? Why's the floor frozen?"

"I have no idea." Ryota said.

"Good thing I grabbed these." I said, handing everyone the claw shots from Twilight princess. "Just shoot the walls with these, and it'll slide you across."

"I like your thinking." Zack said and shot first, slamming hard on the wall after being yanked off his feet.

"I'm okay." He groaned.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Meet us down on the first floor. We'll be there."

"Got it." He replied and slid down the stairs.

One by one, the rest of us slid across the hallways, making our way towards the ground floor.

Once I got there, I found the others with their hands in the air.

"What's with you guys?" I asked when I felt something pressed against my back. I looked over my shoulder, looking at Howlett hard in the eyes.

"Drop your weapons!" He snarled.

"Not this time!" I said and spun around, pulling both swords out of their scabbard and slicing his legs off.

"You...you'll never get out of here." He said. "Suguho...he's got almost every freaking city under his control. He'll find you. And when he does, you'll wish you had died in PO."

"We'll see." I said, sheathing my weapons and turning towards the doors.

"You'll lose, kid." He called after me. "You are nothing to us, or the people on the real-"

He didn't get a chance to finish. I turned around, finding him with an arrow in his chest, dropping his Hp to zero.

"Nobody talks to my friend like that." Melody said, putting away her new Angel bow.

I couldn't help but pity Howlett as he disintegrated. He was my enemy throughout the whole PO crisis, and now he's nothing but code. Things would've been different for him, but he made his choice.

"Come on. Let's go." Ryota said, walking out the doors.

* * *

><p>As we walked away from the building, I looked at my inventory, checking out the weapons I grabbed while I retrieved my old ones.<p>

"Do you think that guy deserves it?" Ryota asked, referring to Howlett.

I shook my head. "No one deserves to die." I said. "He made his choice that day during the boss fight, so he has to deal with the consequences."

He nodded. "True. He had that coming." He said. "Do what did you grab?"

"A Monado, Falchion, and the Electroshock arm." I said. "Thought they might come to use later."

"They might." A familiar voice said behind me. "But nothing beats the old you."

I smiled as I turned around, facing Laochra.

"Long time, no see." I said, slowly walking toward him. "Did you do that?"

He nodded. "You bet I did." He said.

I laughed as we shook hands. Ryota walked beside him and smacked him hard on the back, only to find a killer sword blade at his neck.

"Easy, pal." Ryota chuckled. "Just saying thank you."

"There's a better way to do that." He replied and turned to me. "You should come with me."

I nodded. "Lead the way, you flaming red-head."

He rolled his eyes as he lead us into the woods, whistling at something.

One by one, the members of the team stepped out of the shadows.

"Emm!" Zack yelled and dashed toward his sister, embracing her.

I smiled as I watched the two.

Amber got misty-eyed as Raiden walked up to her, wrapping her in his arms.

"I'm so glad you're okay." He said, holding her close.

"I'm fine, Raiden." She laughed and nodded towards Zack. "He helped me out."

"Well, I'm glad." Her brother said. "Cuz I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

"Olivia?" I heard David ask.

Olivia smiled as he ran up to her and tackled her in a hug.

"Good grief. I'm surrounded by a bunch of huggers." Ryota muttered.

I punched him in the arm. "Give them a break, will ya? It's been three months since they last saw each other."

Then I saw Sarah, slowly walking towards me with her eyes welling up with tears.

I'll admit, mine welled up as soon as I saw her. I couldn't help but bolt towards her, lifting her off her feet as I embraced her.

I can't put into words how happy I was to see her again. The last time I saw her, she barely had any energy to move after being tortured.

Once I put her down, she immediately kissed me.

"Seriously? Get a room!" Ryota grumbled.

I didn't care. I'm just glad I got to see Sarah again.

She pulled away and smiled. "Did you kill my brother so that he could tell us where you are?"

"Uh...about that..." I said, but she kissed me again.

"I'm glad you did it." She said.

"You know...I think I deserve my stuff now." Rick said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, I know." I said and sent his weapons and armor back. "You deserved it."

He grinned as he re-equipped himself. "Ah, it doesn't matter. I'm just glad my sister got to see her boyfriend again."

We smiled as I held Sarah close, locking my hand into hers.

"Where do we go now?" Jason asked.

"Far from there." Canilive said, nodding towards the building.

"Where'd you say that GM console was again, Chris?" Kirito asked.

"Over at Ylisse, in the Fire emblem sector." He replied. "It's a long journey."

"It'll be worth it." I said. "Because we're leaving the virtual world, together."

"Dang straight!" Miles said. "Let's show that sucker what happens when you mess with us."

"The Guardians of light are back!" Firestar said.

Everyone cheered as I walked over to the stranger that saved my life.

"Thank you." I said.

She grinned. "Anytime. I'm glad I could help."

"Hey, you should join us." Ryota said. "We could use someone like you."

"The big guy's right." Miles said. "Join us."

She thought about it and nodded. "Sure. I'm in." She said.

I smiled and extended my hand. "I'm Michael."

"Phantom reaper." She said. "But you can call me Phantom."

"Works for me." I said.

"Well, let's get moving." Jason said. "The sooner we get out, the better."

I nodded. "Alright guys, let's go."

**woohoo! The Guardians have officially reunited...and gained some more allies along the way. **

**Now it's time to go home.**

**oh! As for the owner of Howlett, I hope you're not unhappy with what happened to your character. If u want me to make a change, just let me know.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey, what's up? Here's chapter 7**

Chapter 7

(Michael)

"Okay...let me ask...how did you survive?" I asked Canilive as we walked down the road. "I mean, it was more than ten seconds after you used that Saving grace."

"Look, I have no clue, kid." He said. "All I know is that after that happened, I found myself trapped in a dark room. Then Sam killed Suguho, and we went home."

"How is he?" I asked.

"He's doing better." Sarah said. "He's in a wheelchair right now, but he should be back on his feet pretty soon."

"I hope so." I said. "I guess my parents aren't letting him log in, huh?"

"No, he's not wanting to." She said. "He's happy that you're alive, it's just...after what just happened with Pokémon online, he just didn't want anything to do with it."

I don't blame him. I thought.

"Hey...have you looked at your inventory yet?" Laochra asked.

I shook my head. "No. Why?"

"Check this out." Miles said, flipping through his list of items, selecting one with the name "Zoroark".

A pokéball appeared in his hand, and he chucked it, releasing the black werewolf (at least...that's what I think it is. I could never figure out what it looked like)

"Wait...is that-"

"My old avatar." Miles said. "It knows every move I had in PO."

"That's awesome." Zack said.

"You bet it is." Laochra said. "Come on, check out your inventory, guys."

I flipped open my menu, scrolled through the list of items, finding the item listed as "Lucario" and selected it. Sure enough, a pokéball appeared in my hand.

"Alright, now just throw it." Kirito said.

"I think he already knew that." The new guy, Orion said as I threw it in the air.

Just like Miles, the ball snapped open and released my former avatar.

Just as he appeared, another screen appeared on my personal HUD.

"Woah...why am I seeing two pieces of terrain?" I asked.

"When Lucario is released, it acts like your eyes and ears from a distance." Sarah said.

"So...it's like a ghost." I guessed.

"In a way." She said.

"That's cool." I laughed and returned Lucario to his pokéball. "Now, what about the other pokémon we caught? I can't seem to find mine."

"Don't you remember? You sent them to Sarah thirty seconds before Suguho killed you." David said.

"Oh...right. Come on, man, it's been three months." I retorted.

He shrugged. "True."

I looked through my inventory some more and sighed. "It might take a while to get all that gold back. There might be some more useful stuff in the towns on the way."

"Whys that?" Ryota asked.

"We'll be going up against Suguho more often, now that we rescued his prize." Sarah said, playfully bumping me.

"And because Howlett's gone." Olivia said.

"Wait...Howlett's dead?" Asuna asked.

I nodded. "Melody killed him."

"I had to." She said. "While he was talking trash to Michael, he was slowly raising his gun. I had to finish him."

"And I'm grateful for that." I said.

"So I guess that leaves us with just the director." Chris said.

"He's my fight." I told him.

"What?! No." Sarah said. "You don't need to fight him."

"I have to, Sarah. The longer he's alive, the more danger everyone else is in. I have to end him."

"Why?" Canilive demanded.

"Because all of this...is my fault." I said.

"What do you mean?" Orion asked.

"In SAO...he wanted to join my guild, but after watching him slaughter so many innocent lives on that boss fight, I refused." I said. "I saw him for what he is...and I never did anything about it."

"It's not your fault." Sarah said, holding my shoulder. "No one would've seen this coming."

I smiled. "Thanks, Sarah."

"Michael...you barely survived him the last time you two clashed." Laochra said.

"I know, but this time...I will win." I said, clenching my fist. "I have to."

"We'll help you when that time comes." Kirito said. "And when this rolls over...let's all get back together someday."

"How? Most of us live on separate parts of the world." Sinon said.

I thought about that as I looked at my pokéball.

I remember the old days. In 2013, they released Pokémon X and Y. That was when I first got into Nintendo games.

Maybe it's time I brought it back.

"What if I make a game?"

"What?" Miles asked.

"What if I remade Pokémon Online, only this time...we're trainers?" I said. "And...we'll be able to travel all the region's."

"Dude...that would rock!" Laochra said.

"You said it." Miles told him.

"I thought you were done with virtual reality." Canilive said.

"I was." I told him. "But, it brought all of us closer together as a team."

"I see your point." Laochra said.

"First things first: we need to get Michael and the others out of here." Sarah said.

I looked at her."Who made you the boss?" I asked, impressed.

"You had your time before me." She said, playfully bumping me again.

I laughed. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "I would say the same for you."

"Hey, if you guys don't mind, we'd like to go home now." Ryota said. "Earth to Michael."

"Shut up." I told him when I was suddenly bumped on the shoulder by a another player.

"Hey!" I said.

He didn't respond. He just kept on running.

"Hey, check this out." Kirito said, picking up a small piece of paper from the ground. "Looks like there's a tournament in the next town. The player must've dropped it."

"Really? What's it say?" Rick asked.

"Well, it says here that this tourney is held at Village 9. What's that?"

"I don't know. My guess...it's gotta be some kind of town from Xenoblade or Metroid." Chris said.

"Well, it can't hurt to look." Asuna said. "How far is this place?"

"Let me check." Sarah said, opening her map. "It's not far. I'd say...five miles or so?"

"Alright, let's go." I said.

"Maybe you could participate, Michael." Orion said.

"And risk my life? I don't think so." I told him. "That's not the way I'd like to die."

"Oh come on, you're a great fighter." Firestar said. "Those other players won't stand a chance."

"I'll think about it." I said. "But no promises."

"Alright...fine." Ryota grumbled.

I rolled my eyes, smiling as I held Sarah close to my side.

"I'll do it." I whispered.

"I knew it." She replied resting her head on my shoulder.

"You know, we can hear you." Laochra said.

"We get it!" Sarah and I said in unison, laughing.

**Alright, so now we're going to a tournament. This'll be interesting. **


	9. Chapter 8

**hey, what's up everybody? Here's chapter 8. This one was pretty fun to do, so I hope you like it. **

Chapter 8

(Michael)

Once we got to Village 9, we were shocked when we saw the massive crowd.

"Wow...that's a lot of participants." Canilive whistled.

I nodded. "I'll say. This is gonna be a long week."

"I've got time." Sarah said, giggling.

I smiled. "Come on, let's go see if registration's still open."

"Oh, it's open alright." A voice said behind me. "In fact, you arrived just in time."

I wheeled around to see a kid with dark blue hair, holding a Levin sword in one hand, while a larger one rested on the back of his jacket.

"Who are you?" Ryota demanded, aiming his Doom cannon at him.

"Ryota! Put that way, will ya?" I said.

"Sorry. He just gave me a start." He muttered.

"I'm sure he meant no harm." Sarah giggled.

I shook my head and faced the new guy. "You got a name?"

"I'm Redpunter." He replied, grinning. "You thinking of signing up to the Battle Royale?"

"Is that what this is?" Orion asked. "That's it, I'm in!"

"Slow down, tiger." Sharon laughed.

"Who else is signing up?" I asked Redpunter.

"A few others." He replied. "Myself, and seven others. One of them' pretty creepy."

"In what way?" Nahliel asked.

"When he talks. It jumps or something or another. Maybe he's lagging or something. He hides his face beneath that freaky helmet of his."

A freaky warrior, eh? I thought and nodded. "Okay. I guess I'll sign up."

"You're serious?" Kirito asked. "Michael, we don't even know if this disables your death trap."

"I know, but I need to see who this player is." I told him. "If he's a threat, I'll take him out."

"Who are you guys?" Redpunter asked.

"Uh...we're just players." Rick said.

"Sure. Really, who are you?" He asked, unconvinced.

I sighed. "We're the Guardians of light." I said.

"Really? You had to tell him?!" Orion asked.

"Hey, it doesn't matter." I told him. "It's time we really showed these players who we are. I think taking part in a competition would clear the air for us."

"Good point."

"Wait...you're the guys that made some building near the Target, right?" Redpunter asked.

"You saw that?" Canilive asked.

"Who hasn't?" He said. "You're the guys that demolished Pokemon online, dude."

"At least I know we have a reputation." Laochra chuckled.

I laughed. "What have you guys been doing the last three months?"

"Hey, my chief wouldn't let me bring a whole battalion of these players dive in the sheriffs office." Canilive retorted. "What else was I supposed to do, dive at your house?"

"Touché." I muttered, shaking my head laughing.

"Well there is one thing I want to do now that I know the Guardians." Redpunter said and pointed to me. "And that is challenging Lucario here."

"What'd you call me?" I asked, grinning. "Is that a challenge?"

"You bet it is." He said. "I'll be sure to not kill you of course. Besides, you're out if your HP hits red. Anyway, winner takes all."

"What's the prize?" Kirito asked.

"Oh, just a lotta cash and a powerful Monado." He said.

"Yep, I'm in." Klein laughed.

"Uh...he challenged me, Klein." I said.

"Right. Sorry."

"Anyway, I accept your challenge." I said and held out my hand.

He shook it. "Sweet. Best go sign up now before it closes."

"We've gotta see who's signing up first." Sarah said. "Which would be myself, if my boyfriend doesn't mind."

I looked at her. "Really?"

"Of course. Someone's gotta keep you alive."

I laughed. "Thanks."

"I'm in, too." Orion said. "It's about time I had some fun."

"Me too!" Melody said.

"I guess it won't hurt." Laochra said.

"Heck yeah, I'm in!" Ryota said.

"Hey, it's been a year since I last signed up for a Battle Royale." Sinon said. "Ain't no way are you holding me out on this."

"Alright, let's go." I said and headed towards the crowd, pushing my way through to reach a row of booths.

"This looks familiar." Kirito chuckled as we walked up to them.

I looked at the screen sitting above the booths, noticing that we only had a minute to register.

"Come on. Not much time left." I said and ran to a booth, pressing my hand on the large screen.

My gamertag immediately popped up, along with two slots asking for the two weapons I'll be using.

Guess I can't dual wield. I thought and selected my master sword as my primary weapon and a Star Fox laser rifle I found in Suguho's base.

Once I was finished, I hit the "Okay" button, and I was immediately registered in the roster with the others.

"Whew! Right on time, too." Sinon said.

I laughed and put my other sword and blasters in my inventory and replaced them with the rifle, strapping it on my back.

Suddenly, a bell sounded nearby, and players all around us started disappearing.

"Alright...see you on the battlefield." Redpunter said as he disappeared as well.

I braced myself as my body started glowing, blinding me for a brief moment before quickly fading out.

The I found myself in the middle of the coliseum, surrounded by giant walls filled with onlookers.

That's a big crowd. I thought as I turned to see the other players already advancing on each other.

"That was quick." I said and grabbed my rifle, revving it up for battle.

"Here we go." I said and opened fire on a nearby player, blowing him out of the arena.

So that's how it works. All I had to to was knock a player to red, and he'll be launched into the air.

Suddenly, I heard a shuffle behind me. I quickly grabbed my sword as I spun around and slashed the player across the chest, barely dealing anything on him.

"That all you got?" He spat.

I grinned and smacked him in the face with the butt of my sword, knocking him out.

"You haven't seen the me yet." I said and dashed towards the skirmish.

I noticed Sarah and Kirito fighting side by side, trying their best to block other player's attacks while Sinon and Orion riddle them with arrows.

"I guess we'll be teaming up till we're the only ones left, huh?" I asked.

"Maybe." Kirito said. "Don't you have a challenge."

"I'd keep it if I can find the guy." I said. "He said there were only a few people. I didn't expect it to be packed with people."

"This is a lot of people." Sarah said.

"And this is why I hate crowds." I grumbled and smacked another player in the face with the flat end of my sword, knocking him off his feet.

"Nice!" Kirito laughed.

I grinned and looked through the crowd, trying to find Redpunter when suddenly, the ground beneath my left foot exploded, throwing me into Kirito and Sarah.

"The heck?" I asked as I looked around, trying to find the person responsible.

Then I saw him, the player Redpunter mentioned as the creepy lagger.

"Come on, get off!" Kirito grunted.

I nodded and attempted get back on my feet, only the stumble on my side.

"What's up? Why can't I move?" I demanded.

"Michael...your leg." Sarah gasped, pointing at my left leg.

I looked at it and nearly fainted. It was gone. The only thing left was a stump.

"We've gotta get you out of here." Kirito said when he was suddenly shot in the chest, immediately getting hurled into the air.

"What the..." Sarah asked as I glanced back at the shady player, who was slowly walking towards me with a long sword in hand.

"Sarah, get out of here!" I told her.

"You can't even move." She said. "How will you fight?"

"Trust me, I'll be okay." I said. "Go!"

She nodded and went to help Melody and Laochra.

"You should've said your goodbyes, boy." The figure said, glaring at me.

"That's the thing with me." I told him. "I hate good-byes."

And with that, I grabbed my rifle and shot him a few times in the chest, slightly staggering him.

Then I leaned forward and slashed his face with my sword, chipping a piece of the faceplate off.

"Take that!" I said and attempted to scoot away when he suddenly shoved a long knife in my right ankle, pinning me to the ground.

"Not this time." He said with a metallic voice. "This time...you die."

His voice sounded familiar. It sounded a lot like...Lewis.

"Mr. Lewis?" I asked.

He smiled slyly as the helmet took itself off, showing a mangled face of the psycho teacher.

"What...what happened to you?"

"Save it!" He hollered. "You...you made me like this!"

"You brought it upon yourself." I shot back. "I'll admit, I had no regrets after what happened."

"Yeah? We'll see about that, now that I truly get the chance to kill you once and for all!" He said and thrust his sword towards my chest.

Suddenly, another sword flew in and knocked Lewis's out of his hand.

"Not this time!" A voice said behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see a young man with dark armor running towards me, jumped over my head, and landed beside the sword.

"Who are you?" Lewis demanded.

"I'm your worst enemy." He said as he grabbed his sword and slashed him across the chest, immediately launching him out of the arena.

"Woah...what the heck was that?!" I asked as I tried to get the knife out of my ankle.

He chuckled and yanked it out, tossing it aside. "I'm Flawlessice. But if you want, you can call me Drew."

"Well...thanks." I said.

He grinned and glanced at my stump. "You should get that healed."

"Easier said than done." I replied. "We're in a tourney. We can't just drop out."

"True." He said when Redpunter ran up.

"Dude! What happened to you?!" He demanded.

"Was that Lewis?" Sarah asked, running up to us.

Redpunter looked at her with confusion. "Lewis? Who the heck is that?"

"Someone you don't want to meet." I said, shaking my head. "I...I can't believe this. He was supposed to be dead!"

"Listen, we'll figure it out once this ends." Kirito said. "Right now we have a competition to complete."

"Well, you can finish without me." I said. "Because I'm done."

And with that, I hit the "forfeit" button on my heads up menu and reappeared at the plaza.

I looked down and sighed with relief, knowing that I have both of my legs.

"I should find the others." I said and walked off.

**...Lewis is alive?!**

**oh boy. Just when one captain dies, another takes his place? Great, it's HYDRA all over again. **


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey, what's up? The Hobbit is OUT! I cannot wait to see it. I'm so psyched!**

**oh...whoops...got ahead of myself there. Hehehe...enjoy. **

Chapter 9

(Michael)

"Michael, wait!" Sarah said as she suddenly appeared behind me.

"You should've stayed." I said.

"And let my boyfriend beat up on himself?" She asked. "I don't think so."

I chuckled and kicked at the dirt. "Yeah...you're right. I just...I just can't think straight."

Sarah put her hand on my shoulder. "Look, I know that you're bothered by Lewis's return. I mean...yeah, you went into a frenzy and killed him right in front of everyone."

"Because he almost killed you." I said.

"I know...and I'm grateful for that." She said. "You promised you would keep me alive, and you did."

She came to my front and leaned her forehead on mine. "Now let me make you a promise this time. I promise I'll get you and the others out of here before you could say "home"."

I laughed. "I know."

Suddenly, fireworks started flying into the sky and exploded giving us an incredible display.

"Shoot! I forget it was already 8:05." Sarah said.

"It's fine." I told her when Laochra and the others walked up to us.

"Guess what, I won!" He said, holding a blue Monado up in the air.

"Dude! How'd you win?" I asked.

"You won't believe it." Miles grumbled. "Once you two left, we were swarmed by players, and Laichra turned up as the only survivor."

I chuckled and nodded at the Monado. "Nice sword. I didn't know that's your color."

"Blue? Are you kidding me?" He asked. "Red's my color, idiot. I made it this color for you."

"What? Why?" Sarah asked.

"We already have our super-charged weapons." Canilive said. "And if Michael's so bent on killing Suguho, I think this weapon should go to him."

And with that, Laochra chucked the large sword to me.

I caught it and grinned. "Thanks, but "killing" Suguho sounds too sinister. I think the correct word would be...seeking justice."

"That works." Melody said.

"If that's what you want, then I'm in." Flawlessice said.

"Me too. Besides, you owe me a tourney." Redpunter said.

I smiled. "Thanks. I'll be sure to give you your challenge once I'm free."

As I held the new Monado, activating it.

"Woah! Slow down!" Kirito said. "You sure you know how to use that?"

"No, but it would be good to practice with it." I said.

"Good point."

Canilive grinned. "Listen, Micheal...it's getting late on our end, so we're going to have to head home for the night."

"You're leaving?" I asked.

"Just for the night." Sarah said. "We'll be back in the morning."

"Just...don't do anything stupid while we're gone." Chris said as he flipped open his menu and hit the "log-out" icon. "Just stay here and train with Kirito and the gang."

I shrugged. "Fine with me."

Sarah giggled and wrapped her arms around me.

"I love you." She said.

"I love you too." I said and watched as she hit the "log-out" button. "I'll see you soon."

She nodded and disappeared with the others, leaving me with Kirito and his gang.

"We'll see them tomorrow." Kirito said and yawned. "Let me tell ya...I'm tired."

"You guys can take shifts this time if you want." I told them.

"I guess that'll work." He replied. "Once Sarah and the others return, we'll log out to get some rest."

I nodded. "That's fine." I said and looked up to the heavens.

I'll be right here, Sarah...waiting for you.

(Sarah)

As the Amusphere visor shut itself off, I felt the tears roll down my cheeks as I slipped it off my head.

Michaels alive. I thought, happily wiping the year off.

But then I remembered Lewis.

"Good work, everyone." Canilive said. "The first phase went off without a hitch. Now it's phase two."

"Which is..." Orion wondered.

"The defeat of Suguho." Miles said.

I nodded. "Right. We've gotten this far, so let's make it count."

Everyone cheered and started packing up their stuff.

As I put my Amusphere in my bag, Canilive and Firedtar walked up to me.

"Sarah, I think it's best if you and Firestar dived in your home." He said. "With the two new guys we met just now, I'm afraid we'll have to-"

"It's fine, Canilive." I said. "I was only going to stay here until we found Michael. After that, I'll dive at home."

"Okay...that makes things a bit easier." He sighed. "You did good today. Be sure to tell Rick and Chris I said that.

I looked away. I'll tell it to Rick, but if Dad saw me talking to Chris...

"Well...I'm off." Canilive yawned. "See you later, everyone."

Everyone replied drowsily and walked out the door.

"So, you got a place to stay?" I asked Firestar.

She shook her head. "Not really."

"That's okay. We have a guest room at my place." I offered. "There's a computer next to the bed, that way you'll be able to dive."

She nodded. "Okay...let's go."

* * *

><p>As Firestar and I walked up the steps of our front porch, I glanced over to Michael and Sam's house.<p>

"Hey, why don't you go ahead." I said. "I've got some news to give Sam and his family."

She nodded and headed inside while I dashed over, knocking on his door.

I waited for a minute, thinking about what I should say when the door flew open.

"Sarah? Hi." Michael and Sam's mother said. "Come in."

I smiled and walked inside to see Sam and his father cheering for a football team.

I laughed. "Hey, guys."

Sam looked at me and grinned. "Hey, Sarah. What's up?"

"Nothing much." I said. "I've got some news, though."

His father looked at me and switched off the show in an instant. "What's the news?" He demanded excitedly.

His reaction surprised me, but I shook away the thought and smiled. "He's alive. Michael's okay."

Sam sighed with relief. "I knew it. I one that son of a gun wouldn't go down that easily."

"Where is he?" His mom asked.

"He's still in the game." I said. "Somewhere from some Xenoblade game."

"Xenoblade? I thought he was in Smash bros." Sam said.

"He is. It's just divided into six sectors." I explained, pulling out a slip of paper. "Right now, we're...three sectors away from the golden ticket."

I unfolded the paper and placed it on the table, pointing to the city Michael's in. "Here he is..." I said and pointed to the castle to the far left of the map. "This here is where we can get him out."

Sam nodded. "That's awesome! I wish I could help you, I really do."

"Of course you can...right?"

Sam's father bowed his head. "Sarah...I hate to tell you this, but...once Michael's free, we're ridding ourselves of this stupid virtual reality."

I stared at him. "What? Why?"

"It's caused us too many problems." He said. "We almost lost Sam, and Michael..."

"Listen, the reason why this happened...why Pokémon online happened...is because there was someone in SAO that Michael...he rejected an offer to join the group."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because, mom, the guy that's behind PO was slaughtering people on one of the boss fights." Sam said. "I don't blame Michael for that. The guy was a creep."

"Look, we're all devastated with what happened." I said. "It doesn't mean we should just give up on it. It...brought everyone closer."

"Sam's father sighed. "Maybe it did, but...I could never forgive myself if I lost another child. We already lost our oldest."

"I know. That's why...that's why Michael went into a rage." I said.

"He what?!" Both parents asked.

"What happened?"

"Some guy named Lewis...he nearly killed Sarah, and Michael just...went berserk and killed him." Sam said.

"And now he's back." I muttered.

"Wait, what?! He's alive?" He asked.

"Alive...and glitchy." I said. "Look, everything is under control. When all this is over...you'll have Michael back with you in no time."

As I turned to leave, I heard Sam whisper, "Thank you."

I smiled. "You're welcome." I said and left.

* * *

><p>As I headed back to my house, I heard a loud noise. Like a crash or something.<p>

I ran in and found a broken pot next to the bookshelf, and my father standing over it with balled fists.

"Dad...are you okay?" I asked, feeling my heart pounding like crazy.

For a moment he said nothing, then he glared at me.

"Are you working with Chris?" He asked.

I sighed. Somehow he found out, and I'm sure Rick had nothing to do with it.

"Dad...only for a short time." I said.

"Only for a short time, eh?" He demanded. "I told you not to associate with him anymore! You and Rick!"

"Dad, I know, he just-"

"What?! He just what?" He demanded. "Nothing he does will ever make me forgive him!"

"He saved Michael!" I said, feeling the tears fill my eyes.

He looked at me in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Michael's alive, Dad. Chris...he saved him and led us to him." I said. "Look I know you hate him for what happened two years ago, and I know you want us to avoid him. I never expected him to even be here this morning."

"Yes, but...he really did...save him?" Dad asked.

I nodded. "I don't care what happened those years ago. Chris saved Michael, and that's all that matters. Please...can you just forget about the past for once?"

He stared at me with his old, sad eyes. "Sarah...I try to. I really do...I just can't. Whenever I see him...all I remember was that time, and I can't forgive him. It just...angers me!"

I nodded. "I know."

He smiled sympathetically and wiped the tear off my cheek. "Your mother...she'd be very proud of you right now."

I nodded and hugged him tightly.

If there was one way...one way to help my father forgive Chris, I'd find it.

**That got...emotional. I'm serious, I'm starting to shed tears right now. Hehehe. **

**Anyway...this one was fun. I hope u enjoyed it**


	11. Chapter 10

**Alright...the wait is over. here's chapter 10**

Chapter 10

**(Michael)**

"Okay...try Smash!" Kirito said, bracing himself.

I panted and glanced at the clear glass of my blue Monado. The thing was fun to use, it's just heavier and very tiring to swing around.

So far, my favorite abilities are Jump and Speed. Shield and Baster don't seem to work for me.

All I had to do was think "Smash", and the whole sword started glowing bright red.

"Woah...that's bright." Agil whistled.

I grinned and positioned myself and a fighting stance. "Come at me."

Kirito smiled and charged towards me, swinging his sword at my head.

I blocked it and satirical hard, snapping it in half.

"Woah! That's powerful!" Asuna said.

"That was my best sword!" Kirito complained.

I laughed. "Sorry. I guess this is another new favorite ability."

"Yeah...right." He grumbled.

I smiled and opened my inventory. "Here, I made these just in case my master swords break for some reason. Their indestructible, so you don't have to worry about their durability." I told him as I tossed him two black master swords.

"When did you make these?" He asked as he drew one from its scabbard, gazing at the crimson black blade.

"At Chris's shop back at Viridian." I said. "I made some other weapons, I just haven't used them yet."

He chuckled and strapped his new swords on his back. "Thanks."

Suddenly, Klein started glowing, and he disappeared.

"Klein?" Sinon asked as she too disappeared.

I braced myself as everyone else disappeared except for Kirito and Asuna, who stood at me side with their swords raised.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Kirito said.

"Oh please...like you'd be able to protect anyone." A voice sneered. "I little isolation should do you two good.

Oh no. I thought. "Kirito, get out of here!"

He didn't even get the chance. As soon as he took one step, he and Asuna had already disappeared.

"Who needs them?" The voice sneered.

I growled and drew the Monado, bracing myself. "Who's there?"

"Oh please, after everything you've been through, you forget who your true enemy is?"

I didn't even get a chance to think about it as I was pounced by two thugs, pinning me to the wall. I tried to break free, but one of them punched me hard on the side, knocking the wind out of me.

"He's good, boss." He said. "He won't hurt you now."

That's what you think. I thought.

"I wouldn't overestimate him." Suguho said, kicking me hard in the gut. "He's weak."

"You think so, huh?" I wheezed. "Why don't you draw your sword? Then we'll see who's the weak one."

"Shut up!" One of the thugs growled, kicking my head.

"Peace." Suguho said. "Allow me to speak to our friend here...in private."

"Whatever." The other guy grumbled as he and his friend left.

Suguho chuckled. "Ah...I love being in charge. Don't you?" He asked. "I mean, who else would want to be leader of that pathetic group you call a team."

I was about to ask what he was talking about, but he kicked me in the face.

"You don't get to speak. Not this time." He sneered. "You just lie down there and listen."

"I don't need to listen to you!" I snarled, reaching for the Monado. "I just need to end the terror you've become!"

And with that, I grabbed the hilt and swung it at him, but he stepped to the side and threw me into the wall, dazing me.

"You made me this way!" He said. "You...you refused to accept me!"

"You killed all those people!" I shot back. "Admit it, Suguho."

"Yes...I killed them. They were loose ends." He said. "Nobodies."

"Not to me." I said. "You were a risk. You deserved going to that prison in Aincrad."

He gritted his teeth. "You'd best watch yourself. The residents in the Fire Emblem sector aren't as...easy...as you would hope them to be."

"But I wouldn't worry too much about that, cuz you'll soon be dead."

Before I could respond, I was grabbed by the shoulders and thrown to the floor.

"Finish him for me." I heard Suguho tell them.

"Sure thing, boss." One of them replied as holden claws extended from the objects in his hands.

"Don't waste your durability on him." The other grunted, aiming his arm cannon at my head.

"Not this time!" I heard Melody shout as a light arrow sprouted from the thug's chest, immediately killing him.

"Aw crud!" The other grunted as I grabbed the Monado and slashed him across he chest with the Smash ability still active.

Just as his HP dropped to zero, he slashed my leg before dissipating.

"Check Michael!" I heard Canilive shout as I knelt down. "Ryota, you're with me."

"You got it." He replied. "Man I shouldn't have left him."

As I tried to stand up, I felt Sarah put her arm over me to help me up.

"Hang on, I've gotcha." She said softly, sitting me down on a bench.

I don't remember what else happened after that. All I remember was blacking out.

* * *

><p>The next thing I knew, I found myself waking up on Sarah's shoulder.<p>

"You okay?" She asked.

I didn't reply as I rubbed my head. "What happened?"

"You zonked out while we went looking for Suguho." Canilive said as he knelt in front of me. "You're lucky we returned when we did."

"Where's Kirito?" I demanded.

"Easy. Easy." Sarah said. "He's fine. He called us as soon as he got kicked out of the game. They're all okay."

I sighed. "Good."

"Dude...I'm so sorry." Ryota said. "I shouldn't have left."

"No, you're fine." I assured him. "We wouldn't have known."

"What did he tell you?" Flawlessice asked.

"He...he said something about the Fire emblem sector...but I was in too much pain to think about what he meant."

"He must've had a pain modifier on pretty high." Canilive said. "The coward."

"How would he have control of the game?" Sarah asked. "He's not the director."

"Who knows? He's been one before, so there's no doubt he kept his ability." I said and tried to stand up, but I felt too weak and almost collapsed.

"Easy. Don't push yourself." Flawlessice said.

I nodded. "Okay."

"What should we do? If we leave again, it'll just put Michael in danger." Sarah said.

"We'll have to move faster." Canilive said. "The GM console is in Ylisse, and the Fire Emblem sector is four sectors away."

"Well, is there a way we can get there faster?" Flawlessice asked.

Suddenly, a large white ship flew overhead, flying over the hills.

"Was that the Great Fox?" Laochra asked.

"Looked like it." Miles said, checking his map. "Alright! There's a Star fox spaceport not far from here. If we just pass those mountains, we should be there before sundown."

"We can get a ship and head to Ylisse without any issue." Canilive chuckled. "Smart call."

"I'll message Kirito." Chris said. "That way he knows what we're up to."

"Good call." I told him.

"Can you stand?" Sarah asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be okay." I said and straightened up, only to lose balance on my left leg.

"Okay...maybe not." I laughed as Sarah put my arm over the back of her neck.

"Weird...your leg should've been fully healed." Canilive said and knet beside it, scanning it with some odd looking device.

"Holy cow..." He said. "I don't know what that guy did to you, but there's some kind of virus in your leg. It's paralyzing it in-game."

"Can we stop it?" I asked.

"I don't know, I've never seen this kind of thing before." He grumbled. "If I try to fix it, I'll probably make it worse."

"Here, let me." Phantom reaper said, tapping the wound and making a menu appear above it. "I've seen something like this before."

"Can you get rid of it?" Sarah asked.

"I can try." She replied. "No promises."

She started typing away, asking Canilive if there was anything different.

After ten minutes, I started to feel my leg again.

"Looks like you're good." Phantom said.

I laughed. "Wow...thanks."

She smiled. "No problem."

"Alright, let's move!" Orion said as I stood up. "The sooner we get to the spaceport, the better."

I nodded. "Right. Let's go."

(Meanwhile)

"Well played, sir." Lewis said as Suguho walked in. "Too bad you lost those two thugs of yours."

"They're expendable." He said, checking his menu. "How was the tournament?"

"Pitiful." Lewis grunted. "The only thing I enjoyed was the boys face when he found me out. It was something to see."

"I'm sorry I missed it." He chuckled.

"So...what's your plan?"

"Well, since Michael's still alive, we'll have to send him our little present early."

"What does this "gift" do?" Lewis asked skeptically.

"Oh...trust me. You don't want to know." Suguho sneered. "Here's one thing: it'll be survival of the fittest for his little group."


	12. Chapter 11

**hey all, it's Ace. The wait is over. Sorry I took so long. I was sufferjng from blockage...again (grumble, grumble) and I also got sick, so I kinda put this off for a bit. But now I'm back, and here's the eleventh update. **

**I** had** to cut it short, I'll explain after you read, that way you'll get the picture. Anyway, enjoy. **

Chapter 11

(Michael)

"Man...now I know what Philmont feels like." I laughed as we headed up the mountain.

"What's Philmont?" Sarah asked.

"Philmont's a ranch." I explained. "Somewhere north of New Mexico. I never got a chance to go, but a bunch of friends of mine said the trip was worth it."

"Well, now you get to witness it virtually." Canilive chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. "You know...we could go there someday."

"Dude, do you have any idea how much it costs?" Laochra asked. "The trip there's not bad, but it's the stuff you gotta bring that's pricey."

I laughed. "Yeah...good point."

"It's a good idea, though." Sarah said.

I smiled and looked over to Ryota, who hasn't said a word since the attack last night. He still blames himself for the incident, and I keep telling him that it isn't his fault.

"Woah...look at that." David said, whistling as he pointed down the cliff.

I looked to where he was pointing to and saw the biggest spaceport I've ever seen in my life.

"Holy cow...that's way bigger than Mos Eisley." I said, laughing.

"Star Wars fan, eh?" Olivia asked.

I shrugged. "I haven't seen the movies in awhile. I mean, come on...I've been stuck in a game for two years, then shut myself out for a couple more, only to get trapped in another."

"That pretty much sums it up." Blaze chuckled.

I rolled my eyes when a message appeared in front of Sarah.

"The heck?" She asked and pressed it. Her eyes widened. "Michael...Nahliel's down there."

"Nahliel?" I asked. "What's he doing?"

"We haven't seen him since PO crashed." Laochra said.

"Can he help us?" Flawlessice asked.

"I hope so." I said and smiled. "It'll be good to see him again after what we went through."

* * *

><p>As we walked through the crowded streets of the city, I heard Nahliel's voice. It sounded like he was announcing something.<p>

"Alright, looks like we have a winner." I heard him shout as we pushed past the thickest part of the crowd, finding ourselves in the courtyard.

Apparently, a battle had taken place here. There were two players holding their swords, but we're pretty tired.

The young man I easily recognized as Nahliel stepped towards the player on the left, helping him up. "Not a bad fight. Great job."

I smiled and stepped towards him. "Well, if it isn't Blaziken."

He wheeled around and laughed. "Michael! Man, I'm so glad to see you!" He said as we shook hands. "I wanted to help, but I uh...kinda broke myself."

I chuckled. "It's fine, bud. I'm glad to see you're doing better."

He shrugged. "Well, after what happened in PO, I was pretty depressed. But when I heard you were really alive and captured, I came as fast as I could." He said. "For some reason, I ended up in the Zelda sector, so it took me a while to get here. Not to mention the price of the transportation."

"So how do you earn it?" Firestar asked.

"Well, I just help people out." He said. "I've been saving up for a massive battle cruiser so that I could come down to get ya, but now that you're here, I guess I'm all good."

"How much do you have?" I asked. "Cuz we still have a long ways to go."

He flipped open his menu and opened his inventory. "Hmmm...is say...forty thousand col."

"Dang, you've been busy." Miles said. "SBO just came out, and you're already that rich."

"Dude, I've been doing a crud-load of bounties." He said. "You should've seen how much I got for killing Ganondorf."

We laughed when a sudden scream cut the air, causing the other players to panic.

"The heck?" Nahliel asked.

I tried to look through the fleeing crowd, managing to locate the familiar Team Plasma garb.

"Crud...its Laughing Coffin!" I said.

"Aw great...I was hoping they wouldn't come here!" Nahliel grumbled. "Come on, let's get to the inn!"

I nodded and motion for the others to follow when one of the thugs charged towards me with a Killer blade.

I hate those swords! I thought as I grabbed my laser pistol and shot him four times in the chest, taking him out.

"Nice. He's gonna regret coming after you." Nahliel said. "Seems like things never change."

"I hope not." I said. "Let's get to the inn."

He nodded. "Come on, it's not far!"

We ran through the city, hoping to avoid more Laughing Coffin members until we got to the inn.

The player at the front desk saw is storm in. "Welcome, how can I-"

"We'll have a large room, and you saw nothing!" Nahliel told him gave him two hundred col.

"You're giving him that much?" Olivia asked.

"Hey, we don't want to be discovered." He said and started running up the stairs. "Come on!"

I shrugged and we followed him up to the biggest room I'll ever stay in.

"Get ready." Nahliel said. "If that guy down there gives us away, it's a fight for our lives."

"Wait...your trapped here too?"

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I was kidnapped by a squad of those Laughing Coffin thugs. Thankfully, they're not all that bright, so I managed to grab this sword," he held up a gold bladed master sword. "And fled the base before they could yell to Suguho for help."

"Smart." I said and peered out the window. "Okay...since I killed that one guy, they'll probably have this place on lockdown."

"How can they do that?" David asked.

"Well, somehow Suguho can control the game too." I said. "All they have to do is call him here, and he'll keep any ships from leaving."

"Since when did you become a tactician?" Miles asked.

I shrugged. "Let's just say a character in Fire emblem inspired me."

"Robin? Or the nameless one?" Orion asked.

"Robin." I said and smiled. "Great character."

Sarah giggled and pointed to the ship docked near us. "Is that...the Ebon Hawk?"

I looked over to where she was pointing to, finding the ship that looked very similar to the Star Wars, but was themed differently.

"It looks like it." I said. "But...the way it's designed...it looks like a Fire emblem ship."

"But Fire emblem's not sci-fi." Flawlessice said.

"Doesn't mean they can't have themed ships." I said and grinned. "Looks like we have our ride."

"How are we going to get there?" Sarah asked. "There's a boat-load of Laughing coffin between us and the ship."

"I'll great a diversion." I told her. "I'll distract them long enough for you guys to buy the ship and take off."

"Hold on, leave you behind? Are you crazy?" David asked. "What if you get killed?"

"You won't leave me behind." I told him. "I'll make it back once I lose Laughing coffin."

"You're sure about this?" Sarah asked.

I nodded. "I'll be fine. I've done this before in SAO. What's the worst that can happen?"

"I don't wanna know." Laochra said.

I grinned and pulled my blaster out of its holster. "Trust me, I'll be fine. You guys just get to the ship."

**Alright, here it is. **

**Okay, so in case you're wondering, yes...I kinda made up a Fire emblem themed Ebok hawk. If you don't know what game that's feom, let me know. If you do, you're gonna have to interrogate me. (Kidding).**

**anyway, right now I'm working on the name of the ship, so if you've got an idea, please let me know. I'll be glad to here you out. **

**Anyway, glad to be back.**

**oh crud, I almost forgot: for those of you guys that have a living character, I'd like you to remind me the names, ages, appearance (game attire, etc.) and weapons of your characters. Ill put them on my notes, and it'll help me do a way better job keeping track of ya. My good pal Specialopsdave recommended that. (Thanks, pal) **

**Please note, if I happen to forget your character in a chapter or two, don't take to heart or anything. With lots of stuff on my plate, I tend to forget things. **

**Anyway, catch ya later. **


	13. Chapter 12

**alright, here it is. Not only is it a new chapter, but it also reveals the decided name of the ship we went over last chapter. Prepare yourself and enjoy. **

Chapter 12

(Michael)

I stood on the roof on one of the buildings, watching Sarah and the others as they got themselves ready.

Once they were in position, Nahliel mega evolved his Blaziken, which was the signal.

Let's hope this works. I thought as I crept along the edge of the roof, holding my blaster at the ready.

"No one's spilling." I overheard on of the Laughing coffin members grumble as I looked down to them.

"They will." Another snickered. "Once they see the punishment, they'll comply."

"I hope so. I want to get my hands in that Doom claw that one guy has."

"Keep dreaming. Those things are super rare. That guy must've hacked the game to get it."

"You're right, we probably did." I said and blasted him on the head, immediately turning him into code.

"There he is!" His friend shouted, pointing at me. "Get him!"

"Good luck with that!" I said and took off, hopping from roof to roof.

Most of them tried to trip me with all sorts of weapons like the Silver bow, Nosferatu, and other kinds.

This might be harder than I thought.

* * *

><p>(Sarah)<p>

"Alright, let's go." I said, grabbing my sword.

We ran through the different alleys, hoping to avoid making noise in case there are any LC members nearby.

"I hope Michael's plan works." Canilive said.

"Im sure he knows what he's doing." Flawlessice assured him.

"How do you know Michael anyway?" Laochra asked. "Did we meet by chance in PO?"

"Not personally, but..." He paused for a second. "You remember when that game officially launched, correct?"

"Of course. Who could forget?" Raiden said.

"Well, I was at the Town of Beginnings when all heck broke loose." Flawlessice said. "I was a Chimchar, and Michael saved my life when this players started killing each other. I've been wanting to join your Gould for months after."

"Why didn't you just come to the city when we sent the invites?" I asked.

"My friend and I had already made some enemies." He explained. "I feared that if...I joined you, it would risk everything. That fear changed to hatred when Suguho killed my friend."

"I'm sorry." I told him.

"Not as sorry as Suguho's gonna be." He said grimly.

I felt sorry for him. I've only met Suguho once, and that was when the creep tortured the heck out of me.

"Let's go. The ship's just ahead!" Miles said, readying his weapon.

I drew my sword and slowly walked ahead, scanning the perimeter for any stray LC members.

"It's clear!" I whispered, motioning for the others to follow as I slowly walked towards the landing bay.

Suddenly, an arrow flew right past my nose, making me trip over myself.

"Sarah, look out!" I heard Raiden shout as he, Orion, Melody, and Raiden fired back.

"I've got her!" Drax said, running towards me as he blocked some arrows with his sword.

I quickly stood up and drew my blaster, firing random shots at our attackers. "Get to the ship! Go!"

Without hesitation, the others dashed behind me, trying to get to the shuttle as fast as they could. Those with bows and blasters fired as they ran.

Suddenly, the ground beneath our attackers erupted with lava, and they were immediately disintegrated.

"So much for a diversion." I heard Michael grumble as he walked up behind me. "We've got a large group coming towards us."

I looked at him. "Can't you...use whatever that was you just did?"

"What, Bolganone? That was muly last use." He said as the red book in his hands disintegrated. "The original owner must've used it a lot."

I giggled when I saw the large group of Laughing coffin coming towards us. "We should-"

"Yep!" He replied and grabbed my hand as he took off towards the launch pad. "Stay close."

I smiled. "With pleasure." I said, tightening my grip on his hand, while I did the same to the blaster in my other.

He let go and grabbed both his blasters, prepping prepping them as we walked up to Nahliel, who was accessing the console.

"Not much longer now." He said. "The only thing I have to do is name the ship and pay for it."

"Are you serious?! We don't have time for this!" Ryota said.

"Hey, it's game rules." He retorted."I don't call the shots."

Michael shook his head. "Here, I'll take care of it. You guys cover me. We've got a lot of guys coming towards us."

"Great. This day gets better and better." Orion grumbled as he readied his bow.

"I'll be quick." Michael assured him, typing away.

"Bogey, twelve o'clock!" Melody said, using her Angel bow on a pursuing thug. "Two more coming!"

"Michael...you'd better work fast." Miles said.

"Hang on a little longer. I'm almost done." He said, pressing his hand on the purchase option. "Okay...oh come on! Now we have to wait for the information to load!"

"How long will that take?" Firestar asked.

"Forty seconds." He replied, spawning his rifle from his inventory. "Let's make them count."

"You said it!" Nahliel laughed. "It'll be just like the old days!"

"Come get some!" Chris yelled as he rapidly fired at the Laughing coffin.

Rick and I exchanged glances and shrugged. At least someone's having a good time.

I stood with between Michael and Chris, shooting down as many enemies as we could when a noise emitted from the ship.

"Sounds like it's ready!" David said.

"Opening hatch!" Michael said, pressing a button on the console. "Alright, the hatch should be opening right about...NOW!"

The front of the hatch popped out, and slowly let itself down.

"It's open! Lets go!" Ryota said, firing his Doom cannon as he ran for the hatch.

"You heard him! Move it, Guardians!" Flawlessice said, following him.

One by one, the members of our guild ran for the ship, trying to avoid any stray fire.

"Sarah, go! I've got this!" Michael said.

"Michael, you should go!" I told him. "You're the one that's trapped."

"Yeah, but I'll give you a chance to run." He said. "Go! I'll be right behind you!"

I nodded and ran for the hatch, firing random shots at the enemy.

A minute later, Michael made it to the hatch. He hesitated and turned to face Laughing coffin.

"See you later...suckers!" He said and slammed his fist on the button to make the hatch close behind him as he walked up. "Let's get out of here."

"Uh...there's one problem." Laochra said. "How the heck do we fly this bucket?"

"Leave it to me." He said and ran for the cockpit, sat on the pilots seat, and started the engines. "You guys might want to strap yourselves in. This is going to get bumpy."

I immediately sat at the copilot's seat while the others left the cockpit to find a seat of their own.

Suddenly, the ship shook violently, and a green bar appeared on the screen.

"We're taking damage." Michael said. "It's not enough, but that could change if they have rocket launchers or Doom cannons."

He flipped a switch on the console and pulled back on the steering, making the ship lift up. "Hang on, everyone!"

"You ever flown one of these before?" I asked.

"Nope...but it's always worth a try." He said and pushed on the handlebars, making the ship take off. "Besides, the tutorials appeared in my personal HUD it came with."

I giggled and sighed with relief as we flew over the city. "We made it."

"I wouldn't relax just yet." He said. "We're still in the city's border. I'll have to speed this thing up so we could get out of here." He then chuckled to himself. "This reminds me of that old Battletech game they used to have in arcades."

I smiled at him and watched as he flipped a bunch of switches, and before you know it, the ship started going faster than before. His problem solving...it impressed me. There's no wonder how he survived SAO three years ago.

Once the last building was out of sight, a message appeared on the window of the cockpit, letting us know that we have left Corneria.

"You can relax, guardians." Michael said on the intercom. "We're out of the city and well on our way to Ylisse. We're going home."

I couldn't hear it, but I was sure everyone was cheering.

"Man, the director of this game is awesome." He said, leaning on his chair. "The way he has you fly this tin can...it makes it feel real."

I nodded. "Yeah. It does."

"We'll have to tell Kirito and the others that this is where they'll be spawning." He said. "I set it up to where the members of the team respawn here if they're killed or something."

"That is...for players that aren't trapped." I reminded him.

He shrugged. "Yeah. True. No need to remind me."

I laughed and rested my head on his shoulder. "At least you've got people to help you."

He nodded and rested his hand in mine. "Right."

Canilive suddenly came in holding a small ball in his hand. "Thought you might need a map."

Michael put the ship in autopilot and spun his chair around. "Show me the way."

I giggled and watched as Canilive activated the holographic map, showing us the entire world.

"Alright...the trip to Ylisstol will be shorter now that we have this thing." He said. "But there is something we need to do before we log you and the other trapped people out."

"And that is..." He asked.

"We need to find your body in the real world." Canilive told him. "You're the only one that's been kidnapped, and one of Suguho's bases has your location."

"Great. Which one is it?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter. Every base has the information." He replied. "We would've gotten it back at Viridian city, but our main focus was busting you and the others out."

Michael shrugged. "Right. So which of these bases is closer?"

"Well...there is one that's between us and Ylissetol, and that's over at Regna Ferox." He explained.

"Regna Ferox, huh? Great. One of my most favorite places." I said sarcastically.

"You don't like it?" Michael asked.

"The map in Smash bros. for the 3DS kinda got annoying with the constant stage changing." I explained. "Other than that, the place was great in Fire Emblem Awakening."

"Can't argue with that." He chuckled and spun his chair around. "Looks like we're setting off for Ferox, then."

"By the way...what'd you name the ship?" Canilive asked him.

He smiled. "The Radiant Dawn. It seemed fitting."

Canilive and I exchanged glances and laughed.

Michael looked at us in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing. Just reminds us of the times in Pokemon online. You always had something at the top of your head when it comes to titles." Canilive told him.

Michael scoffed. "Thanks."

He took the ship off autopilot. "Hang on tight, everyone! Time to show Suguho that the Guardians of Light aren't backing down. We're just getting started."

"You got that right!" I heard Laochra shout.

Michael and I exchanged glances and smiled.

"Now it's time to tip the scales!" We all yelled in unison as our pilot pushed forward on the steering, making us speed to our next destination.

**The Radiant Dawn...has a good ring to it, huh? Don't worry, Redpunter and Grovylethegreat, your ideas were great. They really were, so you two deserve lots of credit for your ideas. Laochra too. **

**Ill tell you this, I didn't end Pokemon online because of loss of ideas. (Well...it was partly that, but here's the main reason). I ended PO because I felt that twenty five chapters was enough for a story like this. But later...if I do happen to make a sequal to this based on Michael's idea, I'll make it longer. I haven't decided yet. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed. **


	14. Chapter 13

**alright, here's chapter 13. Enjoy. **

Chapter 13

"Impossible..." Suguho snarled, watching the ship leave the Star fox sector. "How? How can they escape your grasp?!"

"I'm sorry, sir. He just caught us off guard." One of the soldiers said, only to get a knife to the chest.

"No...excuses." He snarled as the thug disintegrated.

"Careful. We're already running out of soldiers." Lewis chuckled.

"Shut up! Let me think!" Suguho snapped, banging his fist against the wall. "Where does that coward think he's going, anyway? He knows there's no escape."

"I don't know...he could be looking for the director." Lewis said. "He does seem more willing to let him live."

"He's a fool. He should know that I put him here for a reason." He said. "Prime the ship! We're going after them!"

"Uh...you do know our ship is a lot slower than-"

"I don't care!" Suguho yelled. "I want that boy! Now go get the ship ready!"

Lewis shrugged and left to prepare for departure, leaving Suguho thinking to himself.

"I swear...on behalf of the Laughing coffin...I'm going to end the Guardians, even if it's the last thing I do." He told himself, clenching his fist as tight as possible.

(Michael)

After flying the ship for a while, Chris thought it'd be best if he took over the ship while I got some rest. I couldn't argue with him. After dealing with Suguho in Village 9, travel through the mountains, and get chased by a horde of LC, I could use a nap.

I was actually heading to the bunks when Kirito, Asuna, and the others spawned in the middle of the main room.

Asuna looked around, looking slightly confused. "Where are we?"

I chuckled. "Welcome aboard, guys. This is the Radiant Dawn. Our new home."

"Nice place." Klein said. "How'd you get it?"

"And why did we spawn here instead of Village 9?" Kirito asked.

"It's set up where any members of the guild will spawn here if they're killed or logged out." I explained. "And Klein, let's just say we bought it while on the run from a horde."

"Sounds like you had a fun day." Sinon muttered.

I shrugged. "Well...sorta."

"So where are we headed?" Agil asked. "Ylisstol?"

"Not yet. Canilive said that we need to find out where my body is in the real world, so we're heading for an LC base to get the information."

"Works for me." Liz said. "Time to get you out of here. For good."

I smiled. "I wouldn't say for good. After all that I've been through so far, I'm enjoying this world a lot more than I did PO."

"You're not saying..." Asuna said, grinning. "You're going back?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I was thinking about this while flying the ship. Look, Virtual reality...I know the last two games I've played almost killed me, and it's now considered a bad thing to people back home, but in a way, it also helped me. We've become closer together than any other guild would."

"That's true." Asuna said. "We're better than the Knights of the Blood were."

I nodded. "That's right. Guys, I'll be honest, if I make it out of this and live a full life...some day, I'll remember. The good, the bad...this who survived, those who didn't. But I'll also remember the friends I've made here. That means so much to me. Especially after what I've been through." I said and chuckled. "I'm sometimes told that I choose friends over family, but I don't. You guys, Sarah, Ryota, Laochra...my parents. All of you are my family, and...I will never forget that."

Kirito smiled as we shook hands. "Mike, you've been a great pal. I'm glad I fought by your side."

"We all are." Agil chuckled. We wouldn't be here, saving your hide if you were a nut-case like Suguho."

I chuckled. "Thanks, Agil."

He grinned nodded when the ship shook, almost knocking us off our feet.

"Michael, you might want to see this!" Chris shouted.

I dashed to the cockpit as fast as I could to see some black Arwings attacking us.

"Where'd they come from?" I asked.

"I don't know, but they're not Laughing coffin." Chris said. "Possibly another thieves guild or something."

"Do we have any defense systems?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, the top turret, but that's it." Sarah said when one of the buttons lit up.

"What does that mean?" David asked nervously as Sarah tapped it opening a voice message.

"It's a message." She said.

"Play it. Let's see what these guys have to say." Canilive told her.

She nodded and pressed the "play" button.

"Attention Radiant Dawn, this is Walker Stalker7!"

"Walker stalker?" Laochra asked, chuckling.

"Someone was a Walking dead fan." David said.

"Quiet, please." Sarah said, listening to the recording.

"We mean no harm. Those were warning shots in case you are members of Laughing coffin, but it appears that you aren't. We want to make a deal with you. If you'll let me board your ship, I'll explain."

"Should we trust him?" Raiden asked.

"I don't know." Canilive said. "Besides, how's he supposed to board us with an Arwing?"

"I don't think that's the ship he's flying, Canilive." Ryota said, pointing out the window to a large, black Star Fox ship."

"Holy cow...what is that?" I asked.

"That's one creepy Great Fox." Miles said. What, is it themed as Twilight Princess?"

"We're going to have to ask them anyway." Chris said. "They've got us in a tractor beam."

"They have those?" Miles asked.

"They do now." I muttered. "Be on your guard, just in case."

* * *

><p>As the door dropped open, I rested my hand on the holster of my blaster.<p>

Once the end of the door had touched down, we were greeted by a group of players, looking as nervous as we were.

One of them step forward. "Welcome, friends." He said with a British accent

I slowly stepped forward, not taking my hand off my blaster. "You're the boss of this group?"

"Yep. I'm Walker stalker 7. You must be...Nightbright, correct?"

"Michael, actually." I corrected. "I'm not much for gamertags."

"Alright. Welcome to the Night Hawk. We're the Freedom Fighters." He said.

"Freedom Fighters, huh?" I wondered. "Why did you attack us before?"

"Just to be cautious. We wanted to know if you were the real thing." He assured me. "We've already lost some people due to imposters dressed as you."

"You're trapped here too?" Canilive asked.

Walker nodded. "Yes. We've been on the run since the game released in Japan. How about you?"

"We've been running for two days, now." I explained.

"Well, it's time to stop running." He said. "I want to offer you a deal, Mike. You help me with a favor, we'll assist you with anything you need."

"Why so generous?" Melody asked.

Walker chuckled. "Hey, we're all equals here, right? Besides, I'm done being stuck here. We all are."

Behind him, his large group roared with agreement.

I scratched my chin. "What's the favor?"

"Straight to the point, eh? Good." He said. "Not too far from here, there's a large camp full of Laughing coffin. They've got supplies, weapons, you name it. They've got it all."

"What's holding you back?" Flawlessice asked.

"Well one, there's a forcefield around the whole camp, so we're unable to turn it to rubbish. Plus, there's a lot of bad guys down there."

"Let me guess, you want us to go down there, sneak into an enemy camp, take out their shield, and grab the supplies." Sarah said.

"Well done, lass. You only missed one thing." Walker told her. "And that's an AI."

"An AI? Why would you want that?" Miles asked.

"Well, I don't really need it, but I'm told that there's a rubbish load of information in it." He said. "It might even have information that interests you lot. You go down there and take care of that, I'll be sure there were no witnesses."

I looked over to Sarah and Canilive. "What do you think?"

"Hey, if this AI's got information about you, who are we to refuse?" Sarah said.

"I suppose it could work." Canilive agreed. "We'll just have to come up with a plan."

"Leave that to me." I told him and turned to the others. "What about you guys?"

"Hey, I'm in!" Kirito said.

"Let's get em!" Laochra shouted.

"The sooner we help these guys, the easier it'll be to get us home." Blaze said. "I'm in one hundred percent."

I smiled as the rest agreed and turned to face our new friend. "We're in. Where's the camp?"

"Ah...about that." He said. "Let's just say it's...in the middle of the Twilight realm, and it's packed with some super rough monsters."

* * *

><p>"The Twilight Realm? Are they crazy?" Asuna asked. "Kirito and I barely survived that place!"<p>

"Look, I understand, but we need that information." I told her. "Besides, they seem more willing to help than the other players we've met here."

"Hey!" Redpunter retorted.

"I'm not referring to you." I assured him. "Look, this may be our only chance."

"Yeah, but...you, Ryota, David...you're in danger of being killed." Firestar said. "If you're killed by a monster, you're dead in the real world."

I nodded. "I know, but I have to take this chance." I told her. "We need this information. That's the whole reason why we were heading for Ferox wasn't it?"

"True." Laochra said. "Michael has a point."

Kirito said. "Oh what the heck, I've already cheated death twice anyway." He said. "Let's do it."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright. I'll let Walker know that the deals on." I said and was about to run out when Sarah stopped me.

"Aren't we going to make a plan first?" She asked.

"Oh...right, forgot." I chuckled. "Alright, let me get a good look at the camp, and I'll see what I can come up with."

**Alright, Looks like the Guardians of Light isnt the only group that hates Suguho.**


	15. Chapter 14

**Hey guys. How's it going? Here's chapter 14. Enjoy. **

Chapter 14

(Michael)

"Alright, I have I plan!" I announced, walking back to the hanger, where al the other players waited.

"That was quick." Ryota muttered.

"Okay, it's part of a plan." I told him. "I thought about what Walker said, and I decided that the best thing to do is for the Guardians to go ahead on the Dawn and take out their shield from the inside."

"You're crazy! There's gotta be loads of soldiers in there." One of the Freedom fighters said.

"Maybe, but they don't stand a chance against our weaponry." Kirito said. "Most of our weapons were hacked by Michael so that they never break or decrease in power."

"Point taken." Walker chuckled.

"Once the shield's down, you come out of your cloak and open fire on a few tents and garrisons." I said. "It'll cause so much confusion, I doubt they'll notice us."

"So we're basically the bait?" Another player asked.

"Not exactly." I told him. "You're the distraction. It'll give us enough time to grab the supplies and the AI, get back to the Dawn before its ripped apart by twilight creatures, and leave the LC camp to its fate."

Canilive nodded. "Sounds like a good plan." He said. "I have a few surprises left in me. I can hack into this ship so that the shield never wears out from artillery fire."

"Great. That works." Walker said. "Is it temporary?"

"Yes. It'll last about an hour. That's enough time to get the things we need." He replied.

"Alright, any objections?" I asked.

"Should we use the Arwings?" A Freedom fighter asked.

I shook my head. "Not unless you really need to. We don't want any casualties on this trip."

"Understood."

"Anyone else?" I asked.

No one said anything.

"Alright, let's get this done, people!" Walker said. "It's time to stop running and start paying these suckers back for all the trouble they caused!"

They let out a deafening roar in agreement and ran to their posts as fast as they could.

"Let's go, Guardians!" I said.

They nodded in agreement, and we ran for our ship.

As I sat in the pilot's seat, I sent Walker a quick message, telling him that we'll go on ahead. Once I got the permission, I revved up the Radiant Dawn and flew it out of the hangar, heading straight for the Laughing Coffin camp.

"Alright, here's the deal," I said landing the Dawn. "Once we leave the ship, we're probably going to be ambushed lots of twilight creatures, so we're going to need people to stay behind and protect the Dawn!"

"I'll do it!" Chris said.

"I'll protect the ship." Firestar said.

"Me too." Rick agreed suddenly, slightly blushing for some reason. "I might not be able to die, but it doesn't mean I can't help."

I nodded. "Understood. Anyone else?"

No one answered until Ryota stepped forward. "Count us in."

I smiled and headed for the hatch. "Alright then, let's show these guys that we're not running away this time. They put us here, now it's time they paid for it."

The roared with agreement.

"I'm not running anymore!" I added, opening the hatch behind me. "I'm going to find out what's really the reason why Suguho hates me so much."

"Hey, watch out!" Ryota shouted and blasted his Doom cannon on a pouncing twilight creature, killing it instantly.

"Thanks." I told him. "Let's move it, people!"

Everyone except Rick, Firestar and Chris followed as I dashed out of the ship, slashing through twilit that got in the way of our goal.

Once we got close, we stopped and his beside a small ledge, hoping to avoid detection from a patrol.

"What's the plan now?" David asked.

"Let me think." I told him. "You still have that stealth armor?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Good. I need you to sneak in there and take out the guard. Walker told me that numerous LC members and non members walk through the shield bubble unscathed, so you should be fine."

He nodded and activated his stealth ability, disappearing into thin air. "Wish me luck."

I wasn't sure how long it took him to take out the patrol, but after waiting for a minute, the guard suddenly disintegrated.

"Wow...he's good." Blaze said.

I chuckled. "Don't mess with the Cyndaquil." I said. "Come on."

We ran through the forcefield and found David leaning against a tent with his arms crossed. "Took you long enough." He joked.

I rolled my eyes and turned to the others. "Okay, we're inside. Now all we have to do is destroy the shield and grab the supplies."

"Leave the generator to me." David said. "Olivia, you wanna come?"

She blushed. "Sure."

"Be careful, you two." I told them as they walked off.

I then turned to Flawlessice. "Okay, you take a team and get the supplies. The rest of us will find the AI."

He nodded. "Understood."

He selected Raiden, Amber, Zack, Emm, Redpunter, and some of the SAO survivors and left to find the load of supplies.

"Looks like that leaves us." Sarah said.

"We'll be fine." I assured her as I took off. "Come on."

We ran through a few aisles, checking every tent and garrison the camp had. Nothing. Not even a single sign of a mainframe either.

"So much for an AI." I grumbled and turned to Melody. "Give them the signal."

She nodded and was about to launch an arrow into the air when Ryota pushed her bow downward.

"What's the deal?" She demanded.

"Wait...there's something you should see." Ryota said. "Come on."

Sarah and I exchanged glances and followed him to a smaller tent, which had a small cylinder container.

"What is that?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know...but you should read the label." Ryota said, pointing to the engraving.

I took a closer look, and I thought my heart stopped for a second.

It said "Sophie".

"Sophie? Who's that?" Melody wondered.

I hesitated as I rubbed the engraving. "She...she's my sister." I whispered and pressed the button on the far right side, and the top opened up, revealing the one person I thought was dead all this time, wearing the same clothes she wore that last day.

"S-Sophie?" I asked, trembling.

Her eyes opened, and she looked around in confusion as she slowly sat up.

"Sophie...is that...really you?" I asked.

She slowly turned around and gasped when she saw me. "Michael...you're...oh my gosh...you've grown up."

My eyes filled with tears as I tackled her in a hug. She couldn't help but hug me back.

"Hold on a second...I thought she was dead!" Ryota said. "You told us she-"

"Does it look like he knew whether she was or not?" Sarah snapped.

I slowly pulled away. "How...how are you-"

"Alive?" Sophie asked. "It's...its quite a long story." She said when something exploded far behind us. I looked over my shoulder to the shield die down.

"David! What's going on?!" Sarah demanded through the game transmitter.

"Sorry guys...LC saw us." He replied. "Had to act fast."

"It doesn't matter. Just head to the Dawn!" Canilive said and grabbed my shoulder. "We'd better move." He turned to Sophie. "Can you walk?"

She nodded. "I think so." She said and jumped off, only to wince and fall on her left leg. "Maybe not."

"We've gotta go!" Ryota said. "The Night Hawk's coming!"

"Alright, we're coming!" Canilive replied, putting Sophie's left arm over the back of his neck. "Michael, come on! We've got to get her out of here!"

I couldn't move. I was in so much shock...I mind was just...empty.

"Michael, come on! Snap out of it!" I heard Sarah yell as I was suddenly slapped in the face by Melody.

"Come on, let's go!" She said.

I nodded. "Right." I knelt down and put Sophie's other arm over my shoulder and helped her up as we started running for the ship.

"What's going on down there?" Walker asked through the comm.

"Just burn the camp!" Canilive shouted through his mic. We discuss it later!"

"Alright...better get yer butts outta there!" He replied.

Just as we got clear of the camp, the Night Hawk opened fire, destroying lots of tents in the process, turning the camp into an inferno.

"Guys, come on!" David said as we got back on our feet. "The supplies are already loaded!"

We continued running towards the hatch when an arrow shot past my ear and struck David's leg.

"David!" Olivia yelled, helping him back onto the ship.

"Get him inside! Go!" Ryota said and charged his doom cannon. "I'll hold any of those surviving suckers off!"

"What?! Are you crazy?!" I asked. "They'll kill you!"

"No they won't. They'll already be dead." He said. "Go! I'll be right behind you!"

"Ryota..." Sarah said.

"Go, dang it!" He snapped and turned to me. "Michael, you'd better get to the console! Get the Guardians and the Freedom fighters out of this, and you'd better live a full life, kid, otherwise..." He hesitated.

"You don't need to do this!" I told him.

"I don't care, just go!" He said and shoved me towards the ship. "Go now!"

I nodded and ran up the ramp, looking back as I close the hatch.

"Come on, come on, let's get us outta here!" Blaze said as I hopped into the pilot seat and primed the Dawn for takeoff.

As the ship lifted from the ground, I angled it so that we could get a better look at Ryota, who was putting up an epic fight against Laughing Coffin.

"Aren't you going to pick him up?!" Rick asked.

As if he heard the question, Ryota lifted his index and ring finger, making it look like a "V".

"What's he saying?" Sarah asked.

"He's...he wants us to win the war for him." Asuna said. "To come out with the victory sign."

"What?! No! We can't just leave him here!" Olivia said as the ship rocked.

"Not much choice now." I said, staring out the window. "See you on the other side, you big brute."

Before anyone could protest, I pushed forward on the steering, and we flew off for the Night Hawk.

**Ryota...hang in there. The war will be won.**

**Sorry. Kinda got into the 's owner, don't worry, your guy's not dead.**

**But Wow...Sophie's alive?! There's gonna be a lot of explains Suguho's gonna need to do.**

**Note: for those of you who have noticed, I've been revising Fire Emblem Awakening, I'm kinda thinking of doing the same to the Pokemon heroes. I kinda went overboard, and I made them WAY too long, so possibly after I finish SBO and the FE: Awakening revision, I'll redo it. But I would like some help. **

**Anyway, hope you have a good day. In case I don't see ya...good afternoon, good evening, good night.**


	16. Chapter 15

**Oh boy. Finally! It's a weekend. I could use a break. **

**Anyway, here's chapter 15. This one kinda came out short, but...it'll probably explain more about Michael's discovery. Enjoy. **

Chapter 15

(Michael)

"I can't believe you did that!" Sharon said, storming out of the ship after we landed in the Night Hawk's hangar.

"Hey, wait up!" Orion shouted as we ran after her.

"Why, huh? So that we can be left for dead by...Michael?! I don't think so!" She snapped and pointed at me. "You abandoned your friend!"

"It's not like we had a choice." Canilive said, helping Sophie off the Dawn. "He wanted us to go without him. By the time we could pick him up, some of us wouldn't be here."

"Canilive's right." Raiden said. "We had no choice. Besides, as stubborn as the guy is, he really puts up a fight."

"What's going on here?" Walker demanded as he walked up to us. "Where are those supplies and the AI you promised?"

"Not now!" I told him and turned to Sharon. "Listen, I didn't want to leave Ryota back there. I tried as hard as I could to get him to come, but he wouldn't listen."

She glared at me for a second for taking a deep breath and breaking out of Orion's grasp. "Fine. Next time you need to go on a run, count me out." She said and stormed off.

"I'll go talk to her." Orion promised and ran after her.

I sighed. "What have I done..."

"You had no choice." Sarah said, rubbing my shoulder. "She's just scared."

"Michael...how did you end up with a girlfriend?" Sophie suddenly asked, smiling.

I grinned. "You should probably explain yourself as well, sis. How are you alive?!"

She sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask, kid."

"Enough with the "kid" thing!" I snarled. "I want answers, and I want them now!"

"Michael, easy." Sarah said.

"No, it's fine." My sister told her, sitting on one of the supply boxes. "You all deserve an explanation."

"You bet we do." Laochra muttered, only to get punched in the arm by Miles.

Sophie sighed. "Okay...first off, what do you remember, Michael?"

"What do you mean "what do I remember"?" I demanded.

"Please...just tell me." She said, not even flinching to my harsh tone.

I closed my eyes and tried to recall the accident, but my mind was blank. "I...I don't know. I can't recall it."

"It's because of the rage." Flawlessice said. "Let it go, Michael."

I nodded and took a deep breath. After a couple minutes, I felt slightly better and closed my eyes again, this time recalling the whole accident. "I remember...there were three of us. You, me, and some other guy. I can't make out the face. It's faint." I said.

"Okay..." Sophie prompted.

"Suddenly, a black van hits us, and the next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital and hearing that you were gone." I concluded.

She sighed. "Okay...first off, the guy that was with us in that accident...that was Suguho."

"WHAT?!" We yelled.

She nodded. "He...he was an exchange student in my junior year in high school." She explained. "After a couple weeks, we became pretty good friends. He was a nice guy, very entertaining. When he met Michael, the two became the best of friends." She continued. "Then...after graduation, he went on a trip back to Japan for a week, and he came back all...different."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"He was just...distant." She said. "Towards me, towards Michael...whatever happened on that trip changed him. I thought it'd be a great idea to take the two to a game convention because the three of us love arcades and stuff...that was when the van hit us."

Canilive stared at her in horror. "Was that when..."

She nodded. "That was when I discovered what happened to him. He used us. He just...wanted to get close to us so he could find someone to be his test subject."

"For what?" I asked.

She looked away. "To be a living AI."

"Oh my gosh...what did he do?" Amber asked.

"I'm not too sure." She said. "I woke up in some warehouse and found myself hooked to machines by the arms and chest." She said. "He told me directly that Michael was suffering through some amnesia, and he said that the Laughing Coffin should take care of him once he's regained full memory of the event."

"He's the one that formed it in the first place." Kirito said and cursed. "I should've known."

"The next thing I know, I wake up in that tent." She said and looked around. "What's happened?"

"Sophie...this is going to come as quite a shock, but...you're in a video game called Smash Bros. Online." I explained. "You've been stuck..for at least five years."

Her eyes widened with horror. "What..."

"Sophie, easy!" Shulk said. "Take some deep breaths. Calm down."

"Calm down? How can I calm down now that I know I'm stuck as an AI in some stupid video game?!" She demanded.

"Wait...you're the AI?" Walker asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. At least...I think so."

"What do you know?" I asked. "Is there anything about the game running through your head?"

She rubbed her head. "Well...there's lots of locations where you can find tournaments and stuff in the game." She said. "Somehow I've got every file in my head...Agh! This is frustrating!"

"Sophie, easy!" I said. "Just think about one thing. Think about the files. Which one has the location where we're both being held?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes. We're being held in the same warehouse somewhere near a beach...good grief."

"What?" I asked.

"It's the beach we used to go to when we were little." She said. "Galveston."

"Galveston?! All the way down there?!" Canilive asked.

She nodded. "I know that place well. It's no wonder Suguho put us there."

"I'll have to call the Galveston police and let them know to look for a warehouse near the beach." Canilive said.

"Yeah, but there's still one problem," I said. "If they take the nerve gear off, I'm toast."

"Good point. That's why we need to get to that GM console now." He said and turned to Walker. "Can you get us there?"

The guild leader nodded. "You fulfilled your end of the deal, mate. Now it's time we fulfilled ours! Boys, set coarse for Ylisstol! We're going home!"

The Freedom fighters cheered and ran to their posts. Soon enough, the Night Hawk started heading towards the Fire Emblem sector.

"I hope you got a plan, lad." Walker told me. "From what I'm told, it's gonna be one heck of a fight."

Later on, Chris and I were busy using our cash to buy upgrades for the Radiant Dawn, improving weaponry, shields, whatever else we could use to blow our way into the halidom.

"We're gonna need a bottom turret." He said, looking through the option menu for the ship. "Just in case."

I nodded. "Alright. We should also improve the thrusters. It'll give us more speed."

He nodded in agreement as I started to make my upgrades when Sharon tapped my shoulder.

"Hey, you got a minute?" She asked.

"Yeah, sure." I said and left Chris with the upgrades.

Once the two of us were far away from everyone as possible, she turned to face me. "I'm sorry about before. I was just..."

"You were scared, I know." I said. "I understand. After everything that's happened...you had the right to be upset with me."

She smiled. "Thanks. I just don't want anything to happen to Orion or his brother." She said. "Orion...I'm sure he knows this by now, but he means a lot to me. I know we can't die like you and Olivia can, but still, I don't want to lose him to some sicko who kidnaps older sisters."

I chuckled. "That's good. As long as you've got your friend's backs, you're good."

For a moment she was quiet. "What will happen to Ryota?" She asked, breaking the silence.

I shrugged. "I don't know. He's either on the run, captured...I dare not say it, but he'll be out of the game before any of that happens. We all will."

She grinned. "Right. I've got your back this time. Promise."

I nodded. "Thanks."

She was about to leave when she noticed something and smiled. "You know, that girl Sarah...she's done a lot for you, to bust you out of here. You must've done something to make here risk a lot coming here."

I smiled as I looked over to her, who was busy talking with Shulk and Steven. "Yeah...I might've done a thing or two. Besides, I would've done the same thing for her if she were me."

"Well, when you make it out of here...take care of her." Sharon said.

I nodded and watched as she walked over to her friends.

If I do make it out...things will be different. I thought.


	17. Chapter 16

**Hey guys. It's monday...yay (pfft! Who likes Monday's, huh!) well, here's a new chapter for surviving the day. :)**

Chapter 16

(Sarah)

"Alright lads, we're almost there!" The Night Hawk pilot announced, pointing to the familiar halidom. "Been a long time since I last saw this place."

"Brings back memories." I giggled. "When do you recommend jumping ship?"

"I'd say...give me five minutes, then I'll give the signal." He said. "Let the others know, won't you, lass?"

I nodded and ran for the hangar, where everyone else was already heading to their ships.

As I headed for the Radiant Dawn, I noticed Michael shaking hands with Walker.

Guess we're already saying our in-game goodbyes. I thought and walked up the ramp.

As I strapped myself into the copilot seat, Michael walked in and sat in the pilot seat and started priming the engines.

"Hey...if something happens and...I don't make it this time...just know that I love you, okay?" He said.

I smiled and nodded. "You'll make it, Michael. I'll tell the truth, I've loved you since day one."

He grinned and rested his hand on mine. "Suguho...I don't remember much of him, and I don't want to. If he's there...I'm going to kill him for all the pain he's caused for all of us."

"Alright, we're moving!" David said.

Michael nodded and pulled up on the steering, making the Dawn lift up and fly out with the other Arwings.

"Alright, lads, let's blow out friends a clear path for the GM console!" Walker said through the comm.

"You got it, boss!" One of the other pilots relied.

"Michael, we'll fly ahead and start making some noise!" The leader announced. "Once you see an opening, fly in and be sure to give Suguho our regards."

"Sure thing." He replied. "See you on the other side, Walker Stalker."

There was laughter as the star fighters sped towards the large group of Wolfen ships.

"Suguho would use those." Michael muttered. "David, Miles, Zack, take the turrets!"

The three boys nodded and headed to the beach of the ship, where two of the turrets were placed while one of them took the center.

"Light em up!" David said through the comm as he and the others opened fire on the Wolfen.

Michael managed to shoot down a couple with the turret he installed in the cockpit.

"I got an enemy on my six!" One of the other pilots shouted.

"I see you, hang on!" Walker told him and blasted the ship behind his partner.

"Thanks...close one."

"Anytime, pal." Walker chuckled. "Just keep taking out some bad guys."

"Boss, these guys aren't even putting up a fight." Another pilot said. "They're letting themselves get killed."

"Why would they do that?" I asked. "Doesn't Suguho want us dead?"

"Maybe he wants to get the pleasure of doing it himself." Sophie said.

"It's a trap!"'one of the Freedom Fighters said.

"Now's not the time for your Ackbar, quotes!" Walker said.

"No, I'm serious."

"You're friend's right." Michael said. "We'll fly in and spring the trap. The rest of you get out of here."

"You sure about this?" Walker asked.

"We'll be fine. Go!"

"Alright, the pathways clear!" He said, launching a smart bomb into a crowd of Wolfen. "Good luck, kid."

Michael grinned. "Thanks. Hang on, everyone!"

We flew straight through the hole Walker made for us.

Once we made it through, Michael landed the Dawn in the castle courtyard.

"Everyone alright?" I asked.

"We're all okay." Emm replied.

"Yeah, but the ship took a lot of hits." Zack said.

"It's fine. We probably won't need it anymore." Michael said, unstrapping himself from his seat and equipping his Monado. "Let's move, people."

(Michael)

Once the hatch dropped open, Sarah, Rick and I ran out to check the perimeter.

"It's clear!" Rick said, holding his blaster at the ready.

"Stay alert, everyone!" I said and led them through the entrance to the halidom. "I can't believe they'd put the console here if all places."

"Well, at least it's easy to find." Kirito said, holding his swords.

"Let's keep moving." Canilive said. "The console's at the back of the great hall."

"Wait...what if Suguho comes up behind us?" Melody asked.

I thought about that. "I have an idea." I said. "There's a balcony just above the entrance to the great hall. Melody, Orion, Sinon, and Gold, I want you four to wait up there. If Suguho comes from there, train your bows on him and wait for my signal."

She nodded and led the other three up the stairs while we ran through the large doors to the large hall, running towards the large black levitating cube.

"There it is!" I said, speeding up.

"Wait...something's wrong." Asuna said. "There's no admin card."

"What does it matter? We're going home!" Blaze said as I tapped it.

Nothing happened.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked.

"In order to use this, we need the card." Kirito said.

"Wait, can an AI access it?" Blaze asked.

"I think so." Asuna said. "Yui, can you activate this?"

I had totally forgotten the little fairy was with us. She's been quiet throughout the hole trip.

She few out of Kirito's pocket and transformed into her little girl self.

She tapped it, but still nothing happened.

"Something's wrong." She said.

Suddenly, a dark purple orb flew past me and struck her in the back, sending her flying into the wall.

"Yui!" Asuna yelled as I turned to see Suguho, aiming Ryota's doom cannon at us while holding him by the neck.

"Ryota!" Blaze said and attempted to run towards him, but I held my arm out to stop him.

"Please, by all means." Suguho sneered. "Let him meet his doom. It's what you're best at."

"Just shut up!" Kirito said.

"Can it, boy!" The former director snarled. "This doesn't involve you."

"It does now since you just attacked Yui!" He shot back.

"Suguho...tell me, is all this really worth it?" Sophie asked.

"It's worth more than listening to your babble." He said. "There's a reason I locked you away! Your idiot brother just HAD to release you, didn't he?"

"You son of a griffin!" I said and started towards him until he put Ryota's cannon at his temple.

"Move, and I blow your friend's head off." He said. "And don't even bother giving your archers the signal."

Behind him, Lewis and three others dragged in Melody, Sinon, Gold, and Orion, who struggled to get out of their captor's grasp.

"Let them go!" Phantom said.

"Oh, I will...once Michael's dead." He said.

"What is it with you?" I asked. "I get the fact you're ticked off because I rejected your-"

"It was never because of that!" He snarled and pointed the cannon at me. "It's you! You and your family...you're so...AGH! It sickens me just thinking of it. The nature of your family...it just sickens me!"

"That's why you took my sister from me?!" I demanded. "You're the one that tried to kill us in the first place."

"And I regret not killing you as you laid in recovery." He snarled. "Lay down your arms! All of you! Now!"

Sarah and the others turned to me, waiting for my response.

"Do as he says." I told them and shoved the Monado into the ground.

Everyone obeyed and dropped their weapons as well.

"Good...now step away." Suguho said.

"It won't work. You'll need a card." Canilive told him.

"I. Said. Move! Or I'll send your friend to oblivion."

We stepped to the side and let him access the console, typing in unfamiliar commands.

While he was busy, Ryota gave a slight nod.

I nodded back and pulled out my blaster, but somehow Suguho saw it coming and kicked it out of my hand and knocked me flat on by back, holding the tip of Falchion at my throat.

He gritted his teeth. "You should've listened." He said and stabbed Ryota through the back with the Doom cannon.

"No!" I yelled as I watched my friend disintegrate into nothing but codes.

"Pity..." Lewis said.

Suguho chuckled and tapped his suit. "Men, the code is set. Make the pickup."

"Yes sir!" His comrade said as the castle roof blew apart, revealing a giant ship, bigger than ten football fields.

"I'd love to kill you, but I have more important things to deal with." He said. "And that involves the rest of your friends. It's time Smash Bros. Online became the worlds third death game!"

"No!" I yelled and dashed towards him, grabbing the Monado and swiping it at him, but he had already levitated into the air with Lewis and the console.

"Dang it!" David yelled angrily.

"He's going to...oh no..." Sarah whimpered.

"What are we going to do?" Orion asked.

"What do you think? Nothing! There's nothing we can do!" Shulk said. "It's over! Ryota's dead, the consoles taken, and Yui's damaged!"

"We can do it!" Laochra said. "I'm not backing down!"

"Dude, there's no choice but to back down." Miles said. "He's got Falchion, the strongest sword in the freaking game!"

"No, it's not the strongest." I said. "It never was."

"What are you talking about?" Phantom asked.

"Falchion isn't the strongest sword. Neither is the Parallel one." I told her. "If we were to beat Suguho...we need the Exalted Falchion."

"Michael...that's the most rarest sword in the game." Chris said.

I grinned. "Not anymore."

"Michael...what aren't you telling us?" Sophie asked.

I smiled. "When Sarah came to save us from one of the LC bases, I looked through their weapons cache and found it. Perfect durability, everything."

"Mike...you had that the whole time and never told us?!" David asked. "You could've used it so many times in the past! Why would you...because of this, Ryota's dead!"

"I could never get close to him, David." I told him. "Every time I tried, I failed to stop him. There's...something enabling him to be an immortal object."

"The console!" Sarah said. "Think about it. That's why there wasn't a card. He had it the whole time."

"All we gotta do is get it from him and make him mortal again." Rick said. "Sis, you're a genius!"

"First things first." I said, facing the giant cruiser. "We've gotta infiltrate that ship."

**Okay...this time...Suguho's gone too far. It's time to avenge Ryota. **

**Note: Ryota's owner...I just want to inform you that just because your character'so dead, doesn't mean you're out of the picture. You can choose to still follow the story, or...whatever. Just know that you'll be given tons of credit for your Oc. **

**Now, there is a chance for you to bring a new character in for the new Fanfic I'm thinking of. It's up to you if u wanna make one. Be sure to let me know. **


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